RaptorBoyASU

I went with snail mail, how 1900s is that?? But I wasn't about to pay $5 when I had a month to get it in , especially since it only had to go across L.A. County. Oh crap, this is supposed to be a thread for questions...... Ummm.......actually I have one that I couldn't seem to find an answer to online. Is Port Aventura's waterpark included with admission to the park? And if so, are you required to wear a speedo like in Belgium?

Wow, I'm amazed at the stupidity here. I can kind of understand the Dutch guy's question, because it might not be clear if you're not completely fluent in English. However, every one else needs to take a chill pill and READ. If you want to go, send your deposit in. Stop getting all whiny before you even know if you're going on the trip or not. ACtually if you're going to get whiny, don't go on the trip, lord knows you'll be doing those who do go on a trip a huge favor. It might not even go to a lottery, so don't get your panties in a bunch already. And may I ask, are those complaining/asking questions in here even planinng on going? Because if you're not, then why are you bothering people with this nonsense. Jeez, I came in to read this post to see if there was any new info, and I was met by a lot of bitching mostly from people that arent' old enough to go on the trip by themselves anyways.

Since when did Robb not work at Disney?

I saw these pics and immediately needed to post them here.

Actually, I think the other guy was right, he probably saw The Fremont Street Experience featured on TV. It's on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas (the old strip). It's a pretty neat show. Loud music, lots of lights, and best of all free. Fremont street's casinos are a little more claustraphobic and smoky, but they have their own charm. The best "cheap buffet" is at The Golden Nugget down there (around $10-15 for dinner, cheaper for lunch and breakfast). The best free show is the light show at The Wynn IMHO (most people don't realize there is a music light show in their fountain too goes like every 30 minutes during the evening), with Bellagio's light show a close second (depends on the song)

The best park to eat at: Knoebel's. A ton of variety: pizza, burgers, hot dogs, etc.... but also pierogies, tri-taters, pulled pork, and best of all it's super cheap! The best fried chicken dinner: Knott's Berry Farm (and it would make a good story considering that's how the park got its start) The best food presentation: Mythos at IOA. The most top-notch dining options: Walt Disney World Resort

One of my good friends used to live in Tonawanda. I laugh to this day at the name of that city though.

^Actually not all B&Ms need a battery to unlock. I know that the inverts simply use the mechanical method. On B&M inverts, there's a bar that comes down from near the track when inside the station to unlock the restraints. Most of them unlock two rows at a time, but some of the newer ones only unlock a single row at a time. If you need to unload from one of the block brakes, or if the mechanism doesn't work in the station, there's a handled lever that you simply hook on the side of the train and pull down to turn the ratchet bar.

Hmmm....looks like I'll have to miss SFMM, but that's OK because last time I went, it gave me the clap. I'll probably pop up though during the party since my flight gets back into town around 5pm. Will I be smart enough this time to avoid Robb's wings and the ensuing fire poop? Probably not because they're SOOOO GOOOD. - Kyle "my ass is burning" Miller

I have a feeling that probably means 4 cars, each holding 36 passengers. What kind of coaster holds 9 people??? I can't wait to see more details.

Yah, amazing that Disneyland has become my favorite park out here. I was never that big of a Disney fan, but I can go there and not ride anything, and still be loving it.

Being a SoCal transplant and never having experienced the old Knott's. I would say go to Knott's. I've yet to have a bad day there. There's less to do, but the park puts me in a much better mood. Even friends that usually request to go to SFMM when they come out were glad I had suggested Knott's this last time. I get so annoyed every time at SFMM that I always leave feeling blah about the experience. Of course, if you're only going for the coasters, and not the park experience. Go to SFMM.

Well, at least the crowds were really light. The one train ops only made a big difference on X and Batman.

^The things you just mentioned can be part of the reason for slow loading, but not everything. A lot of us in here have worked at parks, and know what's normal delays that can't be avoided, and what's worker apathy.

It was my first visit to SFMM since the takeover, and since Tatsu was built. I was hoping to see all these improvements I'd read about online. Nope! Instead I saw one train on X with 7-10 minute dispatch times, one train on Batman with 6 minute dispatch times, taking a train off Psyclone even though there actually was a wait in the station, one train on Revolution. Minus Batman and X, the rest were fine because the waits were in the station for each of those. Still not ideal because it almost triples the wait time, but 10 minutes isn't bad for anything. However X was awful, we were all the way in the station, and we still waited over an hour. Ok, so operations aren't better, but the employees are better and the atmosphere right? Um, I have never seen the employees be more apathetic at SFMM. It was horrid. I've never seen so many employees just hanging out a park ever. Two people checking restraints, 4 sitting on the ground on the other side of the station. If you're on break, leave the ride so it doesn't look like you're just being lazy. It's about image people. And then my biggest pet peeve of the day.......the lines for food. We stopped for lunch at two places since the group of 4 I was with wanted different food, both places had one line open, with about 3-4 employees standing around inside doing nothing. Later when getting an ICEE, we waited in a line 10 people deep, again 1 window open, and employees sitting around doing nothing. All in all though, we had a good day, but I didn't expect too much. The lines were short throughout the park. We managed to hit every coaster (minus Goliath Jr and Shockwave), and I was really impressed by Tatsu. Met up with the fools up above near park closing for one attempted Deja Vu ride and a Riddler round. I still enjoy myself at this park, but the operations really get on my nerves every time I go.

Ummm....I think he's referring to the fact that there's picture updates at Pointbuzz. It's not spamming if the content doesn't exist here.

Ok, yes a Saturday in August will be SUPER PACKED. If there is anyway you can go on Sunday instead, do it. The park is usually about 1/3 to 1/2 the crowd on Sundays. In fact, they were usually the least busy day at the park. Hit the front of the park in the afternoon, start at the back. You may want to hit TTD first, since the lines will be crazy. Then hit Frontiertown, and the middle section of the park before moving on to the front. When I worked Raptor we would have a 45+ minute wait all morning, but after 3pm, the line would usually be in the 10-20 minute range. Same with the back in the morning. You can power ride Magnum when the park first opens with a platform-only wait.

Papa John's is my favorite chain pizza, right after Pizza Hut Hand-Tossed (I hate their pan pizza). Both are high on my list because they actually put a good amount of sauce on the pizza, though Papa's could be a bit spicier. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this, cuz the crap they serve there now is awful.

Ok, I've yet to be to Raging Waters, but concensus in SoCal is that it is the best, but also the one that gets the most crowded. That early in the season may be fine though. I really like Hurricane Harbor. They have some good slides of every size. The tornado slide is really good, as is the racing one. Oh and I like the fact that they have some of the small speed slides as well as the big ones. Good wave pool, I just think it's dumb you have to pay to get a tube for the lazy river. Wild Rivers is pretty good too (it's in Irvine), though some of their older slides are a bit painful (foam sprayed concrete). The toilet bowl slides were great though, and we really liked the tube shoots. Two of their slides were closed when we were there (I big body slide, and their two dark twisting tube slides). Oh, and Patriot has to be one of the weirdest water slides ever. That and the one that goes underground and then drops you into the water from like 10 feet above.

Hell yeah I notice that stuff. That's what makes me "the awesome". Good finally meeting you. I'll assume you made it home safely when I see another post.

Why is it that every year I end up missing Solace and such. I'm going to be in Vegas for WGI Regional that I've had planned for like 4 months. I didn't realize it was Solace weekend until now. I'm going to be gone Friday night until Monday morning, so I can't even make like part of the festivities. At least I'll be soaking up some Bellagio luxuriousness. And I was so looking forward to some Taiko drums. -Kyle "never been to Solace" Miller

Valhalla all the way. I thought I was going to be burnt by all that fire.

Oooh, I have a few. This is fun. The paratrooper guy. Adrian avoiding sitting on the wet bench to pose with the clown. Me and Kozmo

Yah, even with some traffic, SCBB is only like 1.5 hours away from SF. It's a fun little excursion, and you don't need more than 4 hours there. Actually, I've never spent more than 2.5 hours there, but I generally only ride a few rides (Giant Dipper a few times). 2 days is probably enough for SF if you don't mind spending full days out on the town.

Haha, yes that was part of the trip, even though a small part. Mannequins on a Thursday night is basically a gay bar. Kind of odd.