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Everything posted by haiderodes
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List the Parks You Have Visited in 2013
haiderodes replied to ernierocker's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Adventuredome MK Epcot DHS DAK BGT SWO Disneyland DCA USH SFMM SFStL Holiday World SFOG Family Kingdom OD Pavilion Also visited the City Museum in St. Louis for the first time. -
Longest... Indiana Jones at Disneyland May of 1997 Line stretched across Adventureland back toward the Tiki Room. Lengthwise it was long, but this was pre-fastpass so the wait was just about 2 hours. Most painful.. Steel Eel at SWoT in early June 2009. 90 min wait in the Tejas heat. There was one op in the back who kept holding things up. Then she thought she was cute by jumping around and dancing. No...just do your job. When you do it faster and more efficiently, THEN you may dance. Now the longest lines I have seen, but not waited for were a posted 4 hour wait for Superman: The Escape in November 1997 and 235 minutes for Test Track on New Years Day 2004.
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Anaheim Gay Days at DCA & DL
haiderodes replied to WFChris's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I'm spending the whole weekend there with a couple of friends. Took advantage of the special rates at the Grand Californian. Pretty excited as its my first time staying on property (even though I am a passholder). This is our second time going (first time was 2009). For those from out of town, this is one of the few times you can buy discounted one-day tickets that can be used for a period of almost two weeks. While it sucks that Screamin and Pirates will be down this year and the Halloween fireworks arent included as they were in 2009 (loved the gigantic Jack blow-up head thing), I'm sure ElecTRONica will be awesome this year. As for the activities they really have been growing this event for all ages. In a way I like it better than the Florida version as everything is so close and the variety of things to do. The last time we stuck to the parks. Took a late afternoon break to check out the "welcome center" in the Grand Californian meeting rooms (all the good swag gets taken early). Had some drinks and headed back into the parks. This time we are gonna hit up the Wonderland party on Friday (its a fundraiser for The Trevor Project) and stick to the parks on Saturday with a late afternoon stop for drinks. Then Sunday hit the parks for a few hours before hitting the road. -
Interesting photos! I have been tempted to go to the sale but I heard what you posted...the good stuff had been swiped when it closed and the stuff left was overpriced for the condition it was in. The most interesting part about it all is that it just closed last month, but it looks like they had really let the place go. I had been in the hotel earlier this year, but obviously not to all the areas you were in. We used to go eat at Pacos (mexican place) for their cheap happy hour specials.
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The Boomerang Challenge
haiderodes replied to downunder's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
not that many... boomerang - knott's boomerang - elitch gardens boomerang - worlds of fun boomerang - sfft boomerang coast to coaster - sfdk flashback - sfot flashback - sfne -
Funny that you suggest a ride similar to Knott's Wipeout for SFMM's Baja Ridge area. The mountain already had an older version Chance Trabant called Circus Wheel. Bringing back something like that would help the attraction count, but I don't think a single attraction like that could be marketable for the SoCal market. Perhaps a collection of flats? But then to play devil's advocate... SFGAdv tried that with its "War on Lines" Campaign. Unfortunately ,that didnt work out and most of those rides are now gone. Then there's the issue of staffing. We already know that SFMM seems to have the hardest time amongst all the LA area parks keeping staffing at appropriate levels. There's gotta be a way they can get something else going that isnt a roller coaster that still pencils out. The economy is looking up a bit. For me it's not a matter of cutting down lines from other rides, but rather just having something else to mix into your day. The return of summer shows, IMO, has helped that somewhat but there's more that can be done.
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^^I'd say they are very reliable. Many casino properties here in town have changed to exclusively LED lighting on the exterior (particular in the areas of signage). In fact, even our 7-11s and other convenience stores have changed to LED lighting on their exteriors. Hell, the grocery store up the street from me uses them in the frozen foods section...they have motion detectors too, so that they only turn on when someone is nearby and/or opens the door. I was reading an article not too long ago about how LEDs are getting more powerful every year without increasing heat and electrial usage. Next time you are in Vegas take a look at the Planet Hollywood sign on the Westgate timeshare tower. That thing is BRIGHT!
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Why Vekoma at Disney parks?
haiderodes replied to The_Mad_Hatter's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
You may not know there are a lot more wheels on a Test Track vehicle than you the four you see above the track. One of those "Imagineering the Parks" books has some concept imagery of ToT and it shows the basis of the ride being an Intamin 1st Generation freefall (only larger). I believe this was done only to explore the concept of an enclosed free fall attraction (at the time - late 90-91 - that's all there was). In the end, they reached out to Otis to assist them in creating the machinery for the attraction. Even though they may have reached out to them for assistance, Disney designed it. The fact that Disney asserts so much control over its attractions and partners has long intrigued me. Disney is definately unique when it comes to putting together attractions. Unfortunately this sometimes gets Disney in trouble...IE the Mission Space technology patent lawsuit. Even though this discussion may seem dorky, it is quite interesting to see who knows what. -
What is your favorite launch coaster?
haiderodes replied to EuroTre's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Ive been on a few launched coasters and my overall fave would have to be Rock N Roller Coaster. Its not overly intense or anything, but the combination of music, lights and darkness I love. Runners up would be Xcelerator for force of launch, air over the top hat and general ride length; Speed: The Ride for the second boost after the loop; and Volcano for its second boost (even though I was disappointed how slow the rolls were). -
^Depends how fluffy and in what areas. There's nothing there that is any more restrictive than similar rides elsewhere. That said, El Toro & the B&Ms are a given. Bizarro has the "big-boy seats" that were in high demand the day I was there. I did see a girl have trouble with the lapbars on the Runaway Mine Train though. Those cars are a little cramped and have kinda bulky restraints. She had some thick legs.
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New at Efteling in 2011: Ravelin
haiderodes replied to Thuur's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
^love it! but what exactly is the effect supposed to be? something mysterious in the water? are the birds attacking? -
Best Drops....
haiderodes replied to BiCoastal Kid's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
as of today my top 5... El Toro - the drop over Rolling Thunder into the finale X2 - the flip on the first drop is still pretty awesome to me Gwazii (blue) - the angled dueling camelback in the middle of the ride Ghostrider - off the block brake...especially at night in the back row Cyclops - the infamous drop into the ravine -
What's your favorite Flat ride?
haiderodes replied to FlyingScooter's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I am partial to... -
The main reason the waves aren't turned on anymore is because almost all the World of Color infrastructure runs directly in front of the wave machine down Screamin's launch under the water. They don't want the waves messing with all the cables down there. I wish they could just encase it right there so we can have the waves back, cause it did add a lot of movement to the bay. But you are also right in that the waves would have been turned off when the platforms go up. The wave machines are only located near Screamin's launch and yes they were rehabbed during the lagoon drain. Those cables aren't just sitting on the bottom of the lagoon, they are in secured "trays". I have a feeling they may not want to turn on the waves until they are confident they are done with any troubles with the platform...not because of cables moving but rather that is an access point for the pontoons they use to get out to the middle of the bay.
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^The waves have been off for a few years now. Whats interesting is that they fixed the machines during the WoC build. Seems like they should have spent money refurbing the filters and installing an actual drain into the lagoon. That said, I am looking forward to visiting the parks on Saturday...yes, even Disney Construction Adventure
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Overly fat people are the reason for this type of restraint on pretty much all new intamin coasters this side of the pond Not exactly, there are some people who aren't that big, but rather have thick/muscular thighs that also have issues with the Intamin t-bar/seat belt combo, especially at parks like CP where they have shorter belts than on comparable rides at other parks. Ultimately, people are built differently so its not just a weight issue - these restraints allow more people to experience the attraction period. Also, the correct riding position is with the bar portion of the OTSR resting across the thighs (from what Ive seen on Maverick and I305). Of course its up to the ops to ensure this requirement is being met.
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I like how the link for the Log Flume shows one photo of the lift from the former Grand Canyon Rapids. And one (on its side) image of the Over the Edge (log flume) itself.
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Park Attendance
haiderodes replied to BrownStreak's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Another thing that skews lists is the fact that those parks at the top are all year-round operation...the increase in operating days means increased numbers of visits. -
Photo TR - Busch Gardens Williamsburg (8/23/10)
haiderodes replied to sfmman2000's topic in Photo Trip Report Archive
WTF did they do to the Festhaus? Hopefully that clock thing is temporary. It looked like this back in April of this year... -
What area really needs a theme park?
haiderodes replied to let1gre's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I agree Vegas (or the rest of Nevada for that matter) can't really support a "major" theme park in this day and age, but dammit jim, there is no reason why we should still be without a water park! It's ridiculous that the closest, full-fledged water park is over 3 hours away (Raging Waters in San Dimas, CA). It's not just theme parks and water parks that this city lacks...we also lack cultural stuff. For example I love musical theatre, but to see any of the traveling shows we have to drive to SoCal or to Tempe, AZ. Hopefully that will change with the new Smith Center downtown, but we still have over a year till that's ready. We try, especially with First Fridays downtown and the few fledgling festivals we have, but we have a long way to go. Its funny that as the city has grown things like that have become fewer and fewer. Luckily there seems to be a bit of a resurgence. Then again, I do like to get outta town as often as possible to see and do all that I cant do here...its a nice change of scenery. I think a small park could do well on Oahu in Hawaii. The weather is conducive to year-round operation. Land is super expensive, but even just a few rides would be nice. -
SF 2011 season passes and parking
haiderodes replied to sros1fan's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
If they really have changed their minds on allowing season parking pass use at all parks, I hope a chain-wide "premium season pass" ala Worlds of Discovery and Cedar Fair is coming. Folks like me who typically visit at least 3 or 4 Six Flags parks a year will not appreciate shelling out $15 each day when we have been able to just flash our passes. Its really going to suck for those who purchase their passes somewhere other than their home park. I know many people who do this because their home park opens later in the season. I wonder if they have considered simply raising the price of the parking passes to something like $75? That gives them more money upfront and still pays for itself in 5 park visits. -
List the parks you have visited in 2010
haiderodes replied to Groteslurf's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
2010 thus far... January Six Flags Magic Mountain SeaWorld Orlando (& Aquatica) Busch Gardens Tampa February Knotts Berry Farm March Six Flags Magic Mountain Buffalo Bills April Kings Dominion* Busch Gardens Williamsburg* Six Flags America* Disneyland Disney California Adventure Six Flags Magic Mountain May Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk* California's Great America* Gilroy Gardens* Elitch Gardens* Lakeside Amusement Park (Denver)* Cedar Point* June Six Flags New England* Dorney Park (& Whitewater Kingdom)* Six Flags Great Adventure* Knott's Berry Farm July Lagoon* August Disneyland Upcoming Disneyland Disney California Adventure Six Flags Magic Mountain Knotts Berry Farm Universal Studios Florida (HHN) WDW (all parks) Fort Lauderdale* (Dania Beach Hurricane & the kiddie credit) *new to me parks