Movieguy

I actually rode Flying Turns the year it opened. I thought it was just an OK ride, and not really worth waiting in line for more than 20 minutes for. Like I said, I haven't ridden Impulse yet, so I'm reserving judgement for that one.

Hey guys. It's been a couple of years since I've been to Knoebels, due to my employment situations and all. I'm looking to go back this year in late June, before things back at work begin to get really busy in July. I haven't been there since they added Impulse, so I'm wondering what kind of impact the ride has had on traffic flow through the park, so to speak. I usually like to hit the Twister first, then move on to Phoenix, and then head to the Haunted Mansion, cosmotron, and bumper cars after grabbing a quick bite. I like to show up early too, to stay ahead of the crowds, when possible. Where should Impulse fit in with my little routine, if I decide to stick to it? Oh, and this is some info for the person a few posts back, who asked about hotels in the area. There's a very nice Holiday Inn Express in Bloomsburg, which is about 20-30 miles Elysburg, which I think is well worth your time and money. There's also a Ruby Tuesday, a Cracker Barrel, and a good-sized convenience store, all within walking distance.

So, the much maligned Mean Streak is finally shutting down. I haven't ridden this coaster since 2002, but I actually do have some fond memories of riding it with my family. I actually didn't mind rough coasters back then, but, times change, people want woodies that are smooth as butter, so the older coasters are falling by the wayside. To be honest though...ever since I discovered Phoenix, I haven't given a single thought to Mean Streak, so I'm not really all that saddened by its closing.

^ Don't forget about the Lady Gay.

^ Yeah. At the time it opened, they had heard about Universal coming to Florida, and felt the need to have something similar to compete. But now that Universal seems to have shifted their focus from "Ride The Movies" to all things Harry Potter, Disney Studios no longer needs to compete with them in that aspect. I've heard they're putting in a completely new Muppetvision movie, in addition to the changes in The Great Movie Ride, so it'll be interesting to see how this park intends to evolve, and what direction they'll go.

Although I didn't hate the hat, I kind of liked the theater facade, for nostalgic reasons. It's not as distinguished or as memorable as Spaceship Earth or Cinderella Castle either, so I wouldn't protest its replacement, but I do wonder what kind of centerpiece would really fit that park. Any ideas, Robb?

I know there are already plans to change Pleasure Island, but let me throw an idea out there... How about turning this into a Guardians of The Galaxy themed area? Still somewhat targeted at older audiences, but full of little touches, like an Animatronic Groot walking around, with Rocket hanging out on his shoulder? If they did something like that, I'd revisit WDW in a second.

^ I liked that ride's setting as well, though it was tough to find where the queue started. Hersheypark has kind of a confusing layout, to me anyway.

They're mostly all gone, but I still regard the old EPCOT center rides as my biggest guilty pleasure. I dig up Martin's retrospectives and watch them all the time. I hear so many people outside of this community mocking the old EPCOT, especially the things that remain, like Universe of Energy and Spaceship Earth, but they'll always have a special place in my heart. Horizons and World of Motion especially.

^ Yes it does. I wonder if they're planning to relocate it instead of simply trashing it. Not sure where that would be, though.

Agreed, Cedar Point is really missing a coaster in the family-friendly department since they raised Iron Dragon's height limit 48" and taller and since Disaster Transport is gone as well. I was thinking something on the family-friendly side that isn't a kiddie coaster and that also doubles as a dark ride too like a "G rated" version of Wonder Mountain's Guardian at Canada's Wonderland or a wooden family coaster like Beastie/Woodstock Express at Kings Island. The trouble is, coaster fanboys and CP fanboys would be in an uproar now if they added something more tame, and the park still doesn't seem like it wants to stop catering to the thrill-seeking teen demographic. I imagine they still make a ton of money from being a coaster-lovers' mecca, so they probably see no reason to shift their focus now.

^I'd forgotten about Banshee. Good point overall. It's working now, so don't rock the boat.

So, you're basically saying it's OK for them to just sit on their laurels? Well, that's the business world today, I guess.

^ I agree. If they're going to put in a dive machine, I want to see something besides a simple clone of Sheikra. B&M builds too many clones already, and they need to challenge themselves a bit more, I think. Also, could they come up with a name that's not so generic and underwhelming? Gatekeeper was clever, initially, but I still think that even Cedarfair can do better.

Just chiming in on the Sorcerer's hat. I remember going to MGM Studios in the old days, and seeing the old chinese theater right at the end of the street. I went back in 2005, and found the hat a bit distracting, but I didn't hate it the way some others seem to. I'm more excited to see what TCM is going to do to the Great Movie Ride inside the building. Fingers crossed that they'll keep, and improve the Alien scene!

I never got to ride Gwazi, but it seems to be regarded as one of GCI's worst creations, from the people I've talked to anyway. I have to wonder if it's because Busch Gardens doesn't seem to care too much about wooden coasters in general, and just let it go to rot over the years. Busch seems to heavily favor steel, along with a lot of other corporate parks, and an RMC job is probably the only way we'll see any wood in one of these parks, if at all.

Why this, and not Mean Streak? Yet another testament to the fact that the stand-up coaster is a failed concept. It was interesting as a gimmick when I was a kid, but its clearly run its course.

Does Tokyo Disney use oil for their popcorn, or is it air-popped?

Well, there you go. Florida has everything. The rest of us aren't as lucky as you are, lol.

Knowing this country, if they had bacon flavored popcorn, that would take off for sure. XD

I still can never get over how orderly, polite and clean this place looks compared to a lot of parks I've seen in the US and Canada. It 's almost representative of Japanese culture, which encourages civility. I think we could all stand to learn a few things from these people, especially when it comes to running parks. My god, if my father were still around today, he would have absolutely LOVED Disneysea. The Jules Verne and Sinbad themed attractions would have been right up his ally.

I finally saw Bronson recently...that's the one with Tom Hardy as Britain's most violent convict in recent history. I can see all the comparisons to Clockwork Orange, and it definitely gave me that vibe. Only thing is, this movie is much more brutal, and that's very fitting if you're going to cast Tom Hardy as your main character. Don't expect to come away from it feeling good.

Tokyo Disney just looks awesome all-around. I still remember one of the first videos I saw from this site, way back when. It was from the first Japan-a-mania tour in 2004, and it was my first look at Disneysea, and the awesome Journey to The Center of The Earth attraction. It'll be great to see it all again once the first round of updates comes around. This is one of the parks I want to see at some point in my lifetime.

Remember folks, you can't spell Pinfari without PAIN!

^ Before we continue to crap on China, let us not forget that before the 80's, Japan created a lot of cheap knock-offs of everything, including roller coasters. The Matterhorn knockoff at Nara Dreamland is a testament to this fact. Let us not also forget that Japan later on went on to make some pretty damn good coasters...in Japan anyway.