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^While they are certainly not competing for guests, I don't think enthusiasts are the only ones who care. Both parks marketing departments obviously care too. They must think that the record for most coasters is a valuable asset, which is probably true to a certain extent (more free publicity!). I remember when SFMM opened all those coasters in 2001 to take the record, CP's spokesperson tried to say that S:TE wasn't a coaster.

http://www.italintl.com/detail_page.php?record_id=731 That's the coaster, right? If so, it's already been listed for sale for almost two years now...makes you wonder. I personally don't think there is much of a market here in the U.S. for this type of ride. For the price, there are a lot of other more attractive options than a 30 year old traveling coaster that doesn't have any marketable features (height, speed, loops, etc.). After you factor in the cost of installation, the price probably comes pretty close to Sponge Bob @ MoA (listed at 2.9 mil on RCDB). If RCS didn't already buy that awful looper at the now defunct Santa's Village, I would say that this would have been a perfect fit for them. They have a schedule that could support a coaster like that (LA county fair, OC county fair, CA state fair, Houston Rodeo...), and already have experience hauling around a sh*tload of trailers because of their giant wheel. Oh well.

I think Cedar Point should be disqualified because of their rain policy.

IIRC, they only used two of the Psyclone trains during Fright Fest. How could they have ran 6 trains if one of them was always still online at Psyclone?

^They removed the double down so they could run 6 trains. Before the MCBR was added, they could only run 2 per side.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I used to work Freefall...quite a bit of memories.

The major county fairs out here in Southern California (LA, OC, SD, and even Ventura) are all very nice. I enjoyed my visits to those fairs more than visits to KBF or the "old" SFMM. Fun rides (Tango rules!) and every unhealthy yet amazing type of food you can think of. Plus Weird Al usually plays the fairs out here! I'm fascinated with the operations of carnivals...it amazes me they get those rides up and running and then torn back down in the time span they do. The only downside I can think of is the capacity of the rides, since they are not designed for throughput.

That's barely over 1,000pph. What is Vipers max theoretical pph?

^I have to ask... Weren't you omplaining that Sheikra was always down? Good luck with TTD...

Something is SERIOUSLY wrong at Cedar Point if operators have the ability to bump trains into each other.

Uhm...how are they supposed to theme a train yard? Looking at all the pictures in that update (not just the two you chose as cheap), I don't think this Thomas Town is any better or worse than Bugs Bunny World.

Personally, I thought the "cringe-inducing dialogue" was one of the reasons the movie was so good. I actually enjoyed the fact the movie felt "real" so to speak. I don't think anyone has a problem with you not liking the movie. I think the issue is that you posted about watching a pirated copy of the movie, accused us all of simply kissing her ass, and went ahead and assumed that she would suddenly be too good for us (which, as Elissa pointed out, was totally wrong).

Because someone has to say it... This is what SFMM should have done.

^You get what you pay for.

It's just a commercial for HHN.

IIRC, wasn't one of the things they boasted about at the WCB Q&A the fact that they had a waiting list for ride operator positions? I know a lot of the workforce @ SFMM are minors, so I would think they would want to hire more people to offset losing so many people to school.

Stratosphere picture+"the good stuff"= ??????? I wish they would implode the entire north strip and start over!

Freefall.

Couldn't they use this same TV system to broadcast current ride/line status similar to the electronic signs that Universal and Disney have? It would be rather useful to be able to see how the long the line is at a ride while waiting in line for another or to be able to check if Sky Tower is open while in line for something else. It doesn't seem like it would carry any real extra cost and would benefit guests substantially. I don't think that is the most ideal location, but I do agree they should have that somewhere. Problem is, they don't track their wait times. They are still using the old school signs where it is up to the operators to update, and I don't believe it is called in anywhere at the moment. However, they are adding a new fiber optic network for the whole park...so hopefully they can take advantage of that to add wait time signs somewhere.

How many parks actually need a top spin that can hold 70 people? How many parks already had a normal top spin before this hit the market? How many parks can afford to spend that much money on a flat ride (when there are coasters/water rides/etc. that cost just as much or less)? Seems to me like there is a very limited market for a giant top spin, and there in lies the problem. The giant frisbees on the other hand? Hit the market at the right time. Nobody had a floorless swing ride prior to 1998 (or whenever it was that the afterburner exploded in popularity), so there was/is a bunch of parks looking for their obligatory floorless swing ride.

People on the dining plan were getting poor service under the old system. If you're a busy server are you going to give attention to the table with a guaranteed tip or the table where your tip depends on your performance? A good friend of mine just got back from WDW and noted how he thinks the dining plan had ruined Ohana. He said they brought out the skewers of meat 10-15 minutes after being seated and tried to rush them through as much as possible, most likely to squeeze in as many people as possible since it's on the dining plan. And the potatoes are off the menu. That's just not right.

^I would actually go as far as saying this park would fit in just fine at a Disney resort. It's REALLY nice.

^Sky Tower was (obviously) built @ SFMM. But it's not like it something like that is custom. The story goes that it was originally fabricated for the Playboy Club in Chicago, but later sold to Magic Mountain. And the nightclub was in what is now Gotham City. I think it was just an outdoor dance floor.

^^^Look at it this way: a year ago Robb could have filled a whole page of rants. I don't even think Jay and Neal believe "little things" like this aren't going to happen, but there is no doubt in my mind progress is being made. I'm sure now that these issues have been posted, they will be properly addressed.

Here's my question: what is your answer going to be to an interviewer who asks you why you have switched jobs so many times? I get that you're young, obviously have no idea what you really want to do with your life yet, etc., etc. But just remember that young or not, in the professional world (or even the seasonal amusement park world), this stuff does catch up to you. What you're doing is turning yourself into a liability for any company that you interview with. No one is going to want to spend the time and money to hire and train you if you are going to leave in 3 months because it wasn't exciting enough for you. In fact, you may not even be eligible for rehire @ Universal, Disney, or Busch anymore. I don't know their exact policies, but I can't imagine quitting barely after passing probation (if you even passed it) is a good thing. If you got flagged for no re-hire status at any of those companies, they are allowed to tell any future employer that calls them "no we wouldn't rehire him."