allenhuffman

YouTube “Roller Coaster” - AT&T cell, via ProXPN VPN. Logged in.

I haven't been in the park since July so I don't know what the August crowds are doing right now, but if you don't get a quick reply here, drop by my Facebook group and folks who were there this past weekend can probably answer that.

The Iowa Cafe fried chicken on Main Street is still some of the best I've had. This year, the BBQ baked beans are enhanced (made at the hotel restaurant) as it BBQ back in River City. Lots of new menu additions this year. You can ask for a 1-piece meal (not on the menu) and save money, too. If you want to get ahead with food on a stick, the huge 1/4" bacon in the Iowa Farm area (huge pig) is tasty (but pricey) - but compared to the state fair, everything will seem cheap . You can also get other fried foods (fried Oreos, pickles, etc.) in the Alpine Village area just across from the Giant Sky Wheel. (Used to just be corn dogs before Main Street burnt down and was rebuilt several years back.) If the water park is open, there is a full back back there for an adult beverage. The only special food there that isn't in the park is Dole Whip, I think. If you drink non-domestic beer, and plan to have more than one drink all day, buy the refill mug. The mug (filled) + refill is cheaper than 2 beers.

July is peak season for the park. The parking lot gets so full they park folks on the grass and in the RV/campground. But, when dropping by last week on the weekend, lines were short! (No wait at Baloon Race, a few people at Galleon, only one zig-zag then the ramp at The Monster, etc.)... The water park holds up to 5000 people so that can suck up quite a few on the busy hot days, apparently.

Greetings. Does anyone here know where the Maliboomer S&S Space Shot ended up after it was removed from DCA?

According to parking folks, the busiest days seem to happen in July. Here is an example from one year ago: CyI8rudJ6aI Labor Day Weekend is when the park goes to weekend-only operation. I don't recall crowds being huge. If you are there in the morning, as the gates open, you can get to the Monster with no wait, and then hit the others.

Adventureland has been experimenting with "rope drops" lately, allowing guests to wait on Main Street starting an hour before the 10 a.m. opening. I went out early a few weeks ago to check this out (they seem to do it on some Saturday and Sundays) and wrote up a report: http://adventureland.parkhopping.com/2017/07/04/adventurelands-early-morning-rope-drop/ Previously, they would let people in to the front area, in front of the train station, with the garage doors closed until 10 a.m. This new approach is much nicer. The carousel and G-Force and arcade open, and they put out a special food cart serving stuff like milk and cereal. I have not seen this mentioned anywhere on their website, so I'm not sure how anyone would know they are doing this.

I know little about coasters, but my understanding was it was sort of a hybrid. This was the first one of its kind in this hemisphere. From correspondence with the park: "It’s a hybrid of the Euro-Fighter and a more custom coaster type."

The 1998 dinosaur as the Sinclair gas company logo, as they were a sponsor of the park for many years. We were discussing the new dinosaurs on "The Monster" in my Facebook group, wondering if they were just "monsters" since Jurassic Park, Godzilla, etc are considered "monster" movies. But The Monster is a goblin, apparently, and not an ancient lizard. The someone posted and said the park had these Dinos in storage for years and just decided to set them up here. They've been doing a bunch of plussing lately. They added six speakers and a subwoofer to the BUMPER CARS and it plays driving themed songs while you ride. They also upgraded many ground speakers last year, and added or fixed audio at the Galleon rocking pirate ship with sea shanties and a pirate themed safety spiel... lots of stuff going on lately.

It's a step up from the previous dinosaur that was put in the park in 1998... Dinosaur in 1998

So ... dinosaurs at The Monster... http://themeparks.disneyfans.com/photos/Adventureland/Adventureland2017/NewFor2017/MonsterDinos/index.shtml Because... Adventureland. Looks like a triceratops or something, and maybe a velociraptor.

If anyone is planning a visit to the park, let me know and if I can, I'll meet you there and treat you to a cold bevrage, and show you some do the park's history if you care.

Mid week shouldn't be bad at all, but the traffic patterns have changed a bit since The Monster was added. Still, way better now than in July when they get so busy they park folks outside of the parking entrance and in the RV park.

Apparently, a dinosaur (maybe more than one) has been spotted within the tracks of The Monster today. A member of my Facebook group posted a photo showing it. I guess monsters are being added to The Monster!

The Inverter was running early this season, but has been down the past month or so. A poster in my Facebook group said it was "officially" gone, after speaking with a mechanic working on it. We shall see...