Jew

You know, while the inability to hear the dialog in JLBFM is a real problem, there's just something really cool about the sentence "I can't hear a word Batman is saying." It would be just like the movies and that terrible voice Christian Bale uses...

"Out of sight, out of Mind."

I'm not buying that at all.

Wait, what? No offense, but that is a pretty terrible thing to say.

Glad I was already planning to be in town that week!

A standard part of every ride investigation is whether or not everything is being done according to manufacturer guidelines and park SOP's.

Looks just as fun as I imagined it would. Should be a huge hit for the park.

I'm in no way saying you get what you pay for. I'm just saying that a comparison to FastPass is irrelevant, since you ARE paying for FastPass built into the price of your ticket (whether you like it or not) and it has the potential to be just as worthless as you seem to think FlashPass is if you can't get passes for the times/rides you want because they are sold out or too late for your plans... $40/person for the basic FlashPass to reduce the amount of lines you physically have to wait in is actually the BEST value amongst the "line skipping" products.

He was probably told by someone not to say anything but did so anyway.

Aside from the huge initial investment Alton Towers would be losing if they removed the ride, they would also likely have years and years worth of legal fees to contend with fighting with their insurance company and Gerstauler to try and recoup their money. One accident, no matter how bad, doesn't warrant the ride being removed. As Robb has said numerous times, there is no precedent for it.

With the price I'm paying for my pass ($6/month), I can buy a gold FlashPass for less than a 1 day, 1 park ticket to Disneyland or DCA. So pricing does play a role, since perceived value is most definitely part of the equation. You could even argue that in some ways FlashPass is more convenient, since you can reserve rides how you want them instead of having to rush over to get a FastPass for whatever time is available. Current pricing is so cheap for the FlashPass that Six Flags really doesn't have any choice but to make the popular rides up-charges or Platinum only unless they got rid of the lower priced options completely. Otherwise the FlashPass lines would be long and slow the standby lines down even more. The reality is there is no such thing as a perfect line holding/skipping product. Each will have their own strengths and weaknesses and everyone will have a different perceived value of them.

^^^Didn't GCI do the Boulder Dash overhaul that everyone raved about? However, on the flip side, GCI already did some work on GhostRider in 2004 and the ride still blows---so perhaps Cedar Fair wants to go in a different direction this time.

The tent for whatever maze that will reside in the JP queue is already up! Starting early this year for HHN!

I stopped reading when I saw that. Considering the full price of a single day ticket to ONE PARK at the Disneyland Resort is $99 when Six Flags is always running deals on gold passes that cost less than that for an entire year with parking and Hurricane Harbor (I got my gold pass during the Labor Day flash sale and pay the $6/month membership)...you can't compare the two in any way. Also, FYI: You're still paying for FastPass. It's just built into the cost instead of being offered as an up-charge. I have never used Flash Pass at SFMM since I live so close, but at the other SF parks I have used it at it has been worth every penny. I'm on vacation, and sometimes even have limited amount of time in each park. Having an insurance policy to maximize my ride time has been worth it every single time! The first time I used it at SFGADv, it wasn't even wireless yet---we had to use the stations to scan the Q-bot in front of each ride we wanted to ride. And it was still worth it even after the extra hassle.

Nope, Deep Pockets Doctrine. The lawsuit will go to Merlin. Nobody's gonna get any money out of a seasonal theme park employee. The engineers are not seasonal employees they are all permanent members of staff. Also Merlin will not be the ones taken to court if thats what action is decided to be taken "Alton Towers Resort Operations Limited" will be the ones held accountable not Merlin. I meant employee of a seasonal theme park. Is Alton Towers open all year? Also, I'll admit that I don't know how Merlin's parks are structured, but the plaintiff typically targets the largest part of the entity they're suing, which is why you'll see people sue Walt Disney World rather than Epcot. Either way, the answer to the original question (aka, the important part) is still correct.... Are you an expert in English law? Who a victim sues has nothing to do with possible criminal negligence charges (should those laws exist in England) should it be found to be human error.

Aside from Smiler & the alleged design flaws with the Texas Giant train, what other major Gerstlauer incidents have occurred? If I am reading this right, it's OK for a company to be responsible for multiple deaths if the ride is voted a top 5 ride by enthusiasts? And that's the only reason you would invest in a ride if you had the ability to do so? Pretty sure Gerstlauer isn't in the hyper coaster market, so that's kind of a moot point.

Correct.

If anything they will just sue Gerstlauer, their insurance will pay out the victims, their premium goes up a bit, and they walk away with a discount on their new ride. I'm not going to speculate on how it happened, but it's scary to think this is even possible...

Has anybody actually gone inside the NASCAR Cafe? It's not surprising it's one of the last remaining themed restaurants given the popularity of NASCAR in the South, but the exterior seems very dated.

Disney has really upped their game with media events these last few years. Looks like it was a great party!

Looks like their version of a YardHouse. I certainly won't complain about 100 beers being on tap at Citywalk!

You guys should know by now SFMM is in the business of roller coasters.

My thoughts on the ride are that it is a perfect addition for the park and Orlando...but doesn't excite me at all. It looks exactly like all the other B&M hypers, which is not a bad thing by any means....I just know I won't be blown away. I'll have fun on the ride, but definitely don't think it will find a place in my top 10.

It actually makes sense from a cost standpoint. GR always goes down for maintenance both before and after Haunt, so they're saving the labor cost of of having to schedule in-house maintenance employees for an additional couple weeks. The fiscal year resets in early October, so it'll help keep the department from going over its labor budget in the final weeks of the fiscal year. Plus, it'll make life so much nicer for the backstage mazes without that thing rattling by every minute. If KBF is worried about scheduling the very small GhostRider maintenance team for a month...they've got bigger problems. Having GhostRider down would take away space for roughly 2,000 people...that would not be good for their bottom line since it would limit the capacity of Haunt.

GCI=CCI. They'll give you a great ride for cheap on the front end, but you'll be paying for it on the back end if you want to keep it that way.