shepp

Actually, even "show it at the turnstiles" is an overstatement. You hand it over, they scan it, and you're in. I'm not sure they even really check the picture, which in my case is thoroughly, unreadably lousy, anyway.

The launch on Mission: Space produces (what I experience, anyway) as heavier sustained, focused Gs, but is otherwise a lot less intense (and fun) than Kingda Ka's. It's kinda like the difference between riding a skycoaster and falling down the stairs...

Thats what he is talking about. How could you possibly put a gay-like spin on that. I don't preach my religion to others and honestly I'm not a saint, I was just saying what I mean not that I think gays are sinners. I personally don't. Understood...sorry if I offended you. But I reiterate: it's a fairly banal observation that Roman Catholic iconography is chockful of what can easily be described as barely sublimated eroticism...straight, gay, whatever. I know you're only 14, and so all I'll say is...um...this sort of thing is what I'm talking about... St. Sebastian: http://www.marquette.edu/haggerty/collections/sebas.jpg St. Teresa: http://www.gc.edu/DistanceEd/HUMA1301/berberich/Images/teresa.jpg David: http://www.p-synd.com/dpic4.jpg Sorry for the excursion into art history....

Yeah, actually...I wonder just what in my post you object to. Is it my characterization of the WMD debacle as "bearing false witness?" My calling attention to the tastelessness of wearing gory "I'm saved and you're damned to Hell " T-shirts to theme parks? My saying that pro-military, pro-rich Bushies are opposed to the essence of Jesus' message? Are you telling me that young straight people don't go to parks half-clothed and make out? And surely I'm not the first - nor the hundred-thousandth - person, straight or gay, to commment on the thinly veiled eroticism of Catholic iconography. (See also: Bernini's "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.") OK, I give up...Iraqi children are NOT getting killed by the American invasion, there WERE piles of WMD found, there IS no global warming, any guy who doesn't butch it up like a NASCAR dad is wrong, George W. is a peaceloving man who believes that it's harder for a rich man to enter heaven than that camel-needle thing, and the crucifixion had nothing at all to do with a near-naked man being tortured and sacrificed for the ostensible common good. Oh, and it's inappropriate for children in queue lines to see two men kissing, but hunky-dory for them to see pictures of nails being driven through blood-gushing hands... You like me now? Perhaps my nerves were worked because at BGW, before the Irish step dancing show I was subjected to a support-our-troops video. (Quite comically disregarding the massive anti-American-war sentiment among the Brits, btw.) OK, I understand there's supposed to be a distinction between "Support Our Troops" and "Support Our War"...but we all know that is, in reality, bull. Yes, I support the rights of our (officially homophobic) military to live and be well...but I do not support what they're doing in Iraq, and I object to the president of Annheuser-Busch telling me we should all fall behind them in lockstep. When I'm crossing a bridge at BGW, I do not need to hear the Marines' marching song, nor to be told repeatedly throughout the park to drink Bud because it's the only Real American beer, making Miller somehow traitorous. Oh, and Zoltan...please reread my post...I did not attack "Christians"...only the ones who insist on shoving their faith down my throat while I'm riding coasters...nor did I attack "heterosexuals"...just the ones supporting a misbegotten, illegal war that has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, while nattering on about the "culture of life." OK?

Well, I know this thread is pretty well played-out, but as one of this site's Official Old Homos... I just got back from a ten-day trip which veered into the Bible Belt, and was constantly exposed to cheesy bumper-dingleberries celebrating a war founded upon Bearing False Witness and currently Murdering untold thousands of civilian. I was surrounded by supporters of a President who stands against just about the entire Sermon on the Mount, no matter how much he may smirk otherwise. At every park I visited, young straight girls had their pants hitched just millimeters north of Coochieville, and shirtless young hetboys had their undies showing. Young children were exposed to a vivid T-shirt illustration of a nail penetrating human flesh, and non-Christian children were reminded they were going to burn in Hell. And hey - boy/girl dry-humping? You betcha! And now I get home to find 14- and 15-year-olds lecturing me on the fine points of theology and human sexuality. Seems to me, folks, that after the polar ice caps melt and DisneySeas is underwater, a little bit of boy/boy ass-grabbing will be the least of our problems. You folks uncomfortable about gender variance might want to ask yourselves just what that is about. Oh, and to that young Catholic...you guys bow down before a lean, handsome, near-naked young man being gruesomely tortured to death in a redemptive act of human sacrifice...so do get a clue.

Y'know, part of it is the luck of the draw. Not to defend SF, but... I was at SFA on 5/31 and 6/9. Yeah, I'd say the loading is thoroughly inefficient - Batwing and the Penguin were perpetually stacked. But on the 31st, we were told S:ROS would open a little late, so we rode Batwing twice and by that time Superman was running just fine. And yesterday we got six S:ROS rides in a row without having to leave the station, and one of the ops there was really friendly. Typhoon Sea Coaster opened late (it was posted for noon) but it did open a couple of hours later. The only ride that I missed because it was down was Mind Eraser. Small loss. The park seemd generally clean and well-maintained, and the only even mildly discomforting "ghetto" thing I experienced was teenage black girls doing the usual shriek-at-each-other thing. Girlfriends, shut up! I was, frankly, more put off by a couple of white guys wearing Xtian T-shirts, one with a vivid illustration of a crucified hand, the other telling me I was doomed to Hell without Jesus. At PKD, though, Volcano was down a full day and a half, I was almost paralyzed by Hypersonic, and when a thunderstorm broke out and we sought shelter at Spongebob Squarepants, the attraction was suddenly mysteriously down and the audience was chased out into the pouring rain. It just shows to go you...

Depending on your timing, you might look at http://www.vwc.edu/vrps/home/information/Tickets/KD.htm. PKD tix are only 27 bucks, but you have to buy them by the 13th, and they have to be shipped to you. You might be able to buy them by phone, dunno. One really nice thing: they include a free visit after 5:00 the night before your full-day visit, and when we showed up, there wasn't even a parking charge.

To differ with the above a bit: Kong is just another crappy SLC and builds long lines early. Unless you really want the credit, I'd head quickly for Medusa first, hope it opens more or less on time, go for a front-row ride, then head over to Roar, which often runs single-train and can build long waits, then to V2. If you're into animal stuff at all, try to hit the walruses and tigers during trainer-interaction times, stop by the butterfly house, see the whale and dolphin shows, and feed the giraffes. TipZ: if you don't want to pay Six Flags prices for cruddy food, there's a cheap Chinese restaurant (Anna's Something-or-other, I believe) just down the road if you'd like to eat outside the park.

I was just there yesterday, and though next week might be more crowded now that more schools are out, the good news is the place was near-empty. As in: six S:ROS rides, three in the front row, within an hour. We were there the week before, too, and then they opened the park at 9:30 and held everyone at the plaza till 10. Yesterday, they didn't open the gates till 10, though...so who knows? First off, head for Batwing...it has slower loading times than S:ROS and is just around the corner from Superman. Then S:ROS before things heat up. If it's like yesterday, you may not even have to leave the train to re-ride. If it's hot enough and you want to ride Penguin's Blizzard River, I'd suggest that next: dispatch times are abysmal. After that, you should be able to ace the rest of the park unless it's jammed. If you want to ride the Typhoon Sea Coaster (which is really cool for a flume ride) note that it's supposed to open at noon, but didn't start taking on passengers yesterday til 2-ish.

Just got back from a 10-day East Coast trip, in part to ride KK. By getting there way early and joining the stampede, I managed to get in three mind-blowing rides last Wednesday and Thursday without QBot, including a front row ride with only a 20-minute wait. Friday's ERT was cancelled because of rain, but the park opened S:UF and Medusa early in compensation. I was bummed not to get several short-wait rides, but now it looks like I was reeeeeal lucky not to get there a week later. Several things. I thought the ops did an incredible job in filling cars, dispatching them, and dealing well with riders. In fact, my pre-launch experience with KK was more pleasant than I'd had with TTD. Kudos. And the general stampede-and-queueing situation was a potential nightmare, but I think SFGAdv did a pretty good job controlling hordes of rampaging teenage boys. While I have no idea of the technical side of things, from what I experienced, SF really cares about KK and wants to provide guests with a good experience. I'm with Robb: maybe it's just a Tower of Babel thingy - you can't build a coaster that reaches to the heavens and not expect trouble. As far as the restraints go: mainly a psychological thing, especially prelaunch. KK's OTSRs are minimalist, and I can't believe, given the forces the ride generates, they make a dime's worth of difference. I didn't notice falling into them on the top hat, and they might make a difference if the bunny generated air, but it doesn't. Hell, once you launch, you could be tied down with ropes and you woouldn't notice it. So - though I know it's not cool to defend SF - let's just say I ain't gonna buy anything from Intamin in the near future. I'm hanging on to my KK tee-shirt, though - it may soon become a collector's item....

^ As recently as late last summer, Zonga ran about half the days I was there, at least part of the day. Most everyone hated it, and word is it's now SBNO. I'll take the word of those who claim that SFMW ruined a great coaster. But judging solely from its present incarnation, it might be a fun ride if they replaced the layout, the track, and the trains. Or maybe not.

Please note: It's "waste of space." A "waist of space" is why someone won't fit in the restraints. And too-big guys who ride stand-ups risk losing heir time.

Well, y'know...Yes, it's ridiculous that TTD is still having the amount of problems it is. I'm no engineer, but though it's a complex beast, I can't believe it's that complex... HOWever, anybody who knows anything about TTD and still goes to CP for one day expecting to ride it is being optimistic. And to then complain it's a "waist" of space and should be torn down...listen, I know you're disappointed, but have your hissy fits in private if you don't expect to get flamed. Last year when I went to CP, I allowed up to 2 1/2 days to ride the damn thing. I rode four times in a day and a half, and would have had another front row ride if it hadn't broken down for four hours when I was almost in the seat. Next week I'm going to GAdv and allowing 3 relaxed days to ride some coasters, maybe visit Philly, and - if weather, mechanics, and fate allow - ride KK. If not, I will insist that Six Flags tear it down immediately and resurrect Viper in the space.

Becuase it's a Saturday, it will probably be crowded...and the parking lot is either a tram ride or a long hike from the gate. There's also a pretty inefficient security check before you hit the gate, and if you don't have tickets, that's another wait. So if you want to be one of the first into the park, get to the parking lot no later than 9:15. I never go on Saturdays, but on weekdays, real crowds don't start showing up till after 9:30. Where to go first depends on something you don't know...is Roar running just one train? If you want the front row on Medusa, head there first, but SFMW is notorious for delaying opening of it till 15-20 minutes past the opening of the park. Otherwise, Roar can build up lines pretty quick or it can be an early walk-on, but it's conveniently right next to V2...if that's running. Kong builds up very long lines, but it's just another crappy SLC. Boomerang is "worth it" if you grew up in the Gobi Desert and haven't yet had a chance to ride one. Otherwise, it's The Usual. Haven't been since they opened the interactive dolphin stuff. I believe it costs a few bucks to feed the dolphins but you can pet them for free. It's also fun to feed the giraffes. ($2, I think.)

^ To be pessimistic...since more and more schools let out as June progresses, and families start taking summer vacations, the crowds will only get worse. In any case, reports I've read indicate that KK has been down a lot since opening, sometimes for full days (which I imagine at this point can justifiably be pinned on Intamin, not SF), so when we go, the whole question may turn out to be academic. Let's just hope that KK doesn't imitate TTD and take a month-long vacation....

IMO, the Hulk is not a scary coaster. For one thing, the indoor launch means there's no looking-down-from-the-lift-hill jitters, and the first part of the ride is just totally exhilarating. I rode last October and didn't get any headbanging, so I don't know what's up with that. I was in the front row, though...

Well, not be overly argumentative, but I was talking about cars, not the income of their drivers. Anybody making 7 bucks an hour can, if he prioritizes and saves, eventually buy a Beemer and whiz through that hypothetical tollbooth, too. Actually, I found the original Beemer/junker analogy unsound. That's as if I were to say, "Disney should lower the prices in their shops so anyone could afford an original animation cel," and I wouldn't say that. In preparation for my trip to SFGAdv, I've been visiting GAdv fan sites and Googling "Q-Bot." Suffice it to say that not everyone is thrilled to watch folks who've spent up to an additional $150 for their day in the park simply bypass queues. While the basic placeholder Q-Bot does result in longer lines at rides, since QBotters can wait in two places at once, what I find more questionable are the Gold Q-Bot and the VIP tours options, the equivalent of WDW giving instant entry to guests at their highest price hotels. Standard Q-bot doesn't actually result in anyone in any particular line waiting longer the way the other options do. And SF's policy of keeping a row for FastLane only, letting seats go out empty of there are no Fastlaners waiting rather than filling them in with nonQ-Botters, lessens ride capacity for the majority. Let them ride cake. Anyway, we'll never all agree on this, so with your permission, I'm bowing out of this thread now... And hey, anybody with a hundred bucks to spare can bypass the mob scene above and get on the next train of Kingda Ka...

My point is - if we're talking cars - that a system that would let a BMW simply cruise through a toll booth while a beat-up Yugo was made to wait in a traffic jam - made even worse by letting through the Beemer first - would be intrinsically sorta sucky. And your owning an iPod does not make someone else's old Walkman sound worse. Waiting in park queues is a zero-sum game. Owning autos and iPods ain't. Sorry, but IMO a caste system that inconveniences a majority of parkgoers so the park can rake in more money from those able and willing to spend their way to the front of the line is hardly befitting The Happiest Place on Earth...or even the considerably less joyful Six Flagses.

hey Robb...I agree with you, basically. And I never meant to imply you were filthy rich...I know enough about you to know that you manage to do your trips economically. That having been said, I think that the whole pay-to-butt-in-line thing is pretty stinky. Used to be that if you wanted to get the best out of your day at a park, you'd learn about it and plan your day accordingly. Now all the parks sense there's money to be made, and they're going after it. Disney's hotel-related queue-jumping is actually fairly inoffensive, as these things go. At least it can be argued that better access is an added perk for staying on-property. SFGAdv charging 100 dollars for nothing more than the right to stroll up exit ramps is considerably nastier. If you paid the C-note to the op instead of SFI, it would be called a "bribe," no? And I find the tiering of the hotel perks to be...well, let's say that you're going to a concert. If you pay for the first few rows, you get in before the show starts. Sit a bit further back and you might have to wait till the opening act is done. Back of the good seats, you might have to wait till the headliner's on. Balcony? If everybody else is seated, they'll let you in. I don't begrudge you the right to splurge on a hotel, and if that means better access, have fun. I really didn't men to guilt trip you. But the image of poor little Johnny standing there in 90-degree heat with his frazzled Mom while a real Richie Rich sweeps by and rides whatever he wants is just so...Cruella deVil.

What gets me about this is that it reflects what Disney would call "the American Adventure," and not in a good way. Real wages of middle-class families have been trending downward for years while the rises in WDW prices have handily beaten inflation, and the USA has the greatest inequality of wealth in the industrialized world. Money buys access...to decent medical care, to the ear of Schwarzenegger, and now to the Tower of Terror. Robb, $175 for a night in a hotel room may not sound like all that much to you, but, figuring in taxes, Movieguy would have to work a full 3 1/2 days to afford that. That's 3 1/2 days. Same with someone who works at WalMart. ^ I'm a lower-income freelance writer, and granted I'm an ace bargain hunter, but on my upcoming trip, that $175 bucks is buying me 3 nights in a Ramada near SFGadv plus 2 nights in a Travelodge in Williamsburg. Just the taxes on that $175 would nearly pay for my night in an all-suite hotel near BGW. Yes, if WDW is worth scrimping and saving for, most people can somehow afford it. But the top 1% of this country's rich own up to 50% of our wealth, more than belongs to the bottom 95%. For those super-rich, $175 is a meaningless sum that won't cover a single bottle of wine at their favorite restaurant. Early entry seems like a fairly fair perk; it gives some people the jump, but once the park opens to the GP, the playing field evens out. But making the commmoners stand and wait while the plutocracy butts into line - like the villains in a Disney film - stinks. Let a non-on-property peasant try and do that and he's thrown out of the park. Lesson: this is America, where there are two legal systems, one for the rich, one for the poor. And so it goes...

Well, for my usual reason - that the rich get to crap all over the less well-off - I think it sucks. How about if you pay a thousand bucks, the cast member of your choice gives you head, but if you stay off-property, all you get to ride is Pooh?

In another thread, it was said the earliest-opening path to DarKastle goes through Ireland and France, but here that it's through Germany. So which is it?

Really couldn't decide. I love TTD because it's the (now next-to- ) ultimate, XCelerator for its intensity and overbanks, RnRC cos its indoor launch kicks butt, and Hulk for its always wonderful uphill-launch-and-then-you're-outside-in-a-barrel-roll goodness. Going to SFGadv and PKD in the next couple of weeks, so with any luck, I'll have still more choices to confuse me.

Another (maybe unimaginative) vote for Spidey. Unlike CoasterFanatic, I find its amazing level of detail makes for real rerideability... Runners-up would be ROTM (USF), which is great but lacks Spidey's scale and amazement, and - well, maybe it's not strictly a "dark ride," but even if you took away the shooting, MIB would be one of the most impressive, wittiest indoor rides ever...

^ Hey, thanks for all the great information. I tell you, this is the best damn coaster board in the world...