haiderodes

^No, they removed it for Tony Hawk...thus his caption. Glad someone else feels the same way about Mr Freeze. I love it and was plesantly suprised by the theming in the queue, lighting effects in the station and fog in the launch tunnel. As for Batman, its queue rivals the SFOG version for length...its truly massive.

I live in Vegas so I dont count any of the stuff I have ridden here this year, BUT... SFMM SFOT SFGAm SFFT Knotts SoCal FECs (Castle Park, Adventure City, Pacific Park, Scandia) Disneyland & DCA SeaWorld San Diego SeaWorld San Antonio Belmont Park Wisconsin Dells (Mt Olympus, Timber Falls, Knuckleheads) Coming next month... WDW USF & IOA BGA and a few water parks

I was at the park yesterday for the first time since the KROQ party and it was interesting to go through "normal" operations at the ride. Noticed a few things... - LOVE that they have security walking up and down the queue (not just here but at other rides as well). Seems to keep the line jumpers in check (dont get me wrong, they still try, but arent as brave). - The first preshow starts before they can get everyone inside. I assume this means it is on a timer and not activated by the attendant. By the time everyone piles in, its halfway over and people dont know whats going on. - They added a stanchion in the first preshow to keep people back from the props. Perhaps they will add a permanent railing like they did in the third room (under the moving Terminators). - The TVs in the second preshow were out so it was wierd to hear audio that wasnt quite loud enough with no real "context" as to what was happening. Fortunately, an engineer came with a remote and turned them on right as we left so the next group would see it. They also have a lot more lighting going on in there now...not sure what the point of it is. - The special Terminator screen really isnt in a great position for people to notice. You dont stop in that area long enough to even get a chance to check it out. Not sure where else they could put it where people would "get it" without it being in an area vulnerable for destruction. It also seems really slow compared to the The Dark Knight version. - The workers dont "yell" to keep moving. They are just polite and say right this way or enjoy your ride or something. - They seem to try and keep 1.5 to 2 train loads of people on the stairs. - Glad to see they added covers to the speakers. Good not only for inquisitive fingers, but also for the elements and what not. I still think they need to do something to the front of the trains. - The audio on our train went out right at the start of the ride I told them when we got back and it looks like they were actually going to make a call about it. - The mist in the tunnels was a nice touch (not present during the preview).

I was at the park yesterday. We arrived about 945a thinking the park opened at 10, but alas a classic 1030a opening. Lots of people early taking advantage of the free Father's Day coupon in the passholder booklet. It was a bit weird that despite them parking pretty much the entire parking lot, it didnt seem too crowded inside the park. In fact, for portions of the afternoon Tatsu was even a walk-on! I figure a lot of people headed over the waterpark at some point.

Someone didnt sit in the back seat on Cyclops...that last drop is good stuff.

^Or they could just paint it? I mean its a solid ride. If it was in any other park I'm sure it would be a star attraction. The location and the fact there are so many other large coasters at the park, kinda keeps it in the shadow. I just don't think EVERY ride needs to have fire, audio, etc. But some paint and rehab of the general area would be nice.

I rode Texas Giant back in March and if THAT was it running good, I dont want to know what it was like running bad. It was really rough, which is a shame considering it "looks" fun. I happened to enjoy Psyclone and Georgia Cyclone is in my top 5 woodies so YMMV.

I have visited SFDK twice over the past couple of years and have ONLY used public transportation. It always works well for me. The first time I did ferry from the Embarcadero at San Francisco to Vallejo and then the city bus to the park. The second time I did BART from SFO to Oakland and then a bus to the regular city bus to the park. I liked the ferry the best as it involved the least amount of transfers. Coming from Santa Clara you can easily take CalTrain or a bus north to the BART and then use either of the routes I used.

Another parking option is to use the park n ride lot across from the Valencia Town Center at McBean & Valencia. The bus is $1 each way and drops you off near the far end of X2 on MM Pkwy. Used it quite a few times last year (upgraded to the parking pass this year). Only issue is that the busses stop running before the park closes on certain days, so keep that in mind if you want to stay late.

Forgive my skimming, but I don't think the floor will necessarily move in tandem with the trains. There are plenty of Mack "mouses" out there that keep the cars/trains moving in the station without a "moving sidewalk".

I have never noticed it. Am I blind, or does it just blend in really well? It's behind House of Blues. You see it on the Monorail. Universal also has a Sheriff substation on Citywalk. Knott's doesn't have a substation, but I believe they always have Buena Park PD on-site. It's just smart to have immediate response when you are dealing with so many people a year. WDW doesn't have a Orange County Sheriff's Department substation either, BUT they are always on property. They increase the prescence during higher attendance periods. So its not limited to SoCal parks either.

Back in the day most rides, or at minimum the themed areas, had their own specific uniforms. I imagine its a big cost savings to keep the uniforms as generic as possible and allows you to move people around to various locations without a clothing change. Knotts and Universal still do this to some extent, albeit none to the level of Disney.

As a former "rider of size" heres my 2 cents... Tatsu - I'd say as long as you can fit on Riddler you should be fine on Tatsu. The main issue is that there is a sensor that has to be satisfied. So even if the restraint locks, it may not be down far enough. Just make sure you are sitting ALL the way back in the seat with your legs back first. Of course you can always go up the exit and ask to try the seat. Superman - If the person in question is both tall and large, be sure to sit in the second row on the outside, this gives a little more knee room. Again there is a sensor on there to make sure the bars are down far enough. If you look to the loading side, you'll see a green light flash on the co-dispatch panel when the bars are down far enough. Colossus - Theres a yellow line painted on the metal "step" into the train and a matching line on the lap bar. The one on the lap bar must pass the one on the step (about 3 clicks). I notice some ops are better at checking this than others. Scream - As mentioned there are "big boy" seats in rows 4 and 5. If you can fit on Batman, I wouldnt worry about it tho, as the seats on Scream seem to be a little more accommodating. Just a random note... Out of the three Batmans I have been on (SFMM, SFOT, SFGAm), SFMMs seems to have the shortest belts.

Something else I noticed at Thursday's event...they have a "firewatch" person down by the big propane tank for the fire effect. Right now theres just a bunch of cones around the tank, but I assume they'll want to better enclose it and eliminate that position?

I'm a fan of Medusa [west]. Love the straight drop as well as the drop off the midcourse.

^No they don't. If I remember correctly a couple of charaters have cameos in the form of pre-recorded segments played throughout the show. The whole premise is that a crime occurs in the back of this theatre and they need the audience's help to solve.

I had a great time last night. I still wonder how many folks were in the park...maybe 300? We never saw more than 20-25 at any one time. I have to say the 8 hours of driving (roundtrip) was well worth it! Did anyone else notice the strange, black, gun looking things sitting off to the left of the transfer track? I think those might be for the front of the trains as they seem to match the decorations on the sides. I can't wait to see how they upgrade the tunnels with the different lighting. Too bad we didnt get the mist on our nighttime rides...is that a permanent effect or was it just for the media? Also the sound was crazy loud, perhaps when they figure out a cover for the speakers it will dampen it a bit? Or at least turn it down once you get to the final brake run. I'm suprised no one has mentioned the crazy zig-zag before the station fly-by. Totally caught us by suprise. Its like the train moves one way while you move another. Good stuff. We were happy to be able to get multiple rides in without leaving our seats (2 times through the pre-show was enough for me). Had a total of 8 rides on Terminator, but we also rode everything else a few times as well. The mist was crazy at X2 (never seen it on so high!).

Never seen a show where so many people have walked out less than 5 minutes in.

Hades!

I remember them telling us on the WDWCP that they have space to build upwards of 4 additional parks, but it would be very unlikely even in the best economic conditions. Part of the appeal of the resort for me is the fact that things are spread out. Granted over the past few years this has lessened due to land sales and new projects, but I personally wouldnt want to see another park OR hotel. I think plussing the parks they have and bringing back more recreational opportunities would be a better idea.

^Thanks. Thinking I might take Valencia to the Old Road. Last time I got stuck in that mess I ended up jumping on the 5 north and coming around the other way on the Old Road. Should be interesting getting there in the midst of rush hour.

How has the traffic been at the MM Parkway and 1-5 interchange? It was still pretty bad back in March, just wanted to see if it has improved at all.

^The instructions are all in the email. Keep in mind you must have a parent or guardian with you at check-in if you are under 18.

I'll be there and member "Nando" is taking my extra ticket.

I really liked SFOT. It reminded me of a cross between KBF and SFOG. Love Mr Freeze! Too bad you didnt get a chance to check out Chute Out or the Oil Derrick, both give a great view of the area, especially on a clear day! Did you try a pink thing?