BeemerBoy

^ Totally agree with you. It's funny that I paid the same for this 3.5 hour tour with 10 lines as I did for the one huge line at Labadee, Haiti during the TPR cruise. I realize the reasoning for how they're both priced, but it's just kind of interesting. It really is a great value! I hadn't even noticed that until you mentioned it. That's definitely, um, different. Thanks, guys! Bob - Yeah, our guide was telling us about the night tours. He said when the full moon is out, they can just turn off their helmet lights and do the entire tour by moonlight! Also, there's a certain time of the summer (week, month?) where the lightning bugs are insane. He said you could look out at the mountains and they look like they're covered with Christmas lights. Brandy - You can do it! If anything, the use of a dual-line system should put your mind at ease a bit more. I don't think it would've mattered much to me, but it was nice knowing that if one line fails, there's always a backup. Jimmy and Bob, you guys should try out their location in Wrightwood, CA, just east of L.A. And for the northeastern folks, I just remembered that our guide also mentioned that the company is currently working on opening a location in the Poconos soon!

My answer is no. I'm personally not into the whole boycotting thing, as I simply don't allow politics to ruin my own enjoyment of any company's product(s). I've heard the Chik-Fil-A example mentioned, so I'll use that. To me, the place makes great fast food that I enjoy. It personally doesn't bother me that a small percentage of upper management decides to allocate funds for whatever political or social agenda they may have. For every misguided CEO, there's a million other people who I may also disagree with on any given subject. Plus, just because "X Company" is said to support "X Cause" doesn't represent the entirety of their workforce; many of whom are hardworking, honest people just trying to make a living (as mentioned in the post above). Therefore, my own disagreement with upper management's views really doesn't mean much, and holding back my money for their value meal doesn't change a whole lot in the world around me. I'd rather just have my chicken biscuit and continue on my merry way. Also, how do I know what every other company in the world actually does with their profits? To me, it's worthless to worry about it. It helps avoid stress.

^ What's funny is that after she did that, I got to thinking how cool it would be to hang out over the middle of the valley. The thought of a 500ft. pull had my arms disagreeing with me though. ^^Thanks, man. I'm with you.....a tour in the snow would be great! They also offer it at night, which is what we vowed to do when we return next year. We'll be doing that plus whatever "record breakers" they offer. In trying to jog my memory, it seemed as though our guide may have even hinted at a 5000ft+ line...which sounds insanely awesome!

Does anyone know what Dollywood's annual numbers are?

Ditto! Lovin' the report so far, Joey.

This past week, Shannon and I headed up to the mountains of backasswards North Carolina for a little ziplining awesomeness. After first learning about Navitat's California location last year on TPR, their Asheville location was something we just HAD to check out for ourselves. Afterall, it's been considered one of the best canopy tours in North America, so we felt it was our civic duty to put that claim to the test! If you're ever in the Dollywood neighborhood, Navitat is just a two hour ride east through the mountains. As a bonus, Asheville, N.C. (if you can get past the countless dirty hippies) was just crowned "Beer City, USA." Anyway, here's how the Navitat Canopy Tour stats look: - 10 ziplines, ranging from 120 to 1100 feet in length - 2 rappelling experiences, 2 suspended sky bridges, 3 short hikes - Take in beautiful long-range views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from artfully crafted tree platforms - Explore the forest from 2 feet to over 200 feet in the air! - An approximately 3.5-hour tour on well over one mile of suspended cable - 8 guests maximum per tour departure time accompanied by 2 professionally trained Canopy Guides - An all-weather adventure, exhilarating rain or shine! While 1100 feet probably doesn't threaten many records out there, that just might change a bit. Our guide informed me that they're currently in the process of building some much longer lines for next year in an attempt to "break some records." I believe he said 3000 feet long would be the shortest, but don't quote me on that. As for the tour, we LOVED it. It was quality all around, from the excellent location to the friendly and efficient guides, this place rocks. Time to let the pictures help the words. EDIT: Just realized that my batch re-sizer grabbed those "construction pics" and re-sized them wrong. Sorry. Time to check in to our B&B. Inside the B&B, angry cat was angry. Okay, not really. However, it was blind....but still cute and friendly. You can't get this at your local Choice Hotel. Time to check out Lexington Ave. Brewery, or "LAB," as they like to call it, for dinner and beer. I suppose it does look sort of "lab-ish"? A cool, odd touch...a great pianist playing all your favorite ragtime favorites! The Grilled Chicken and Garlic Pizza was delicious. I don't believe that cutter was a Dexter P177a though, so point deduction on that. Did I mention Asheville was voted "Beer City" by, um, someone or some organization out there? I'm a Guiness fan, but this stuff had it beat...just barely though. And Shannon enthusiastically approves of their "Whitey" offering. Navitat sits about 20 minutes outside of downtown Asheville. It's a rather small, unassuming place up in the mountains. A look at the course map. A quick lesson on how the course was built.... All strapped in, and we're off! Just a short ride followed by a short hike to the first line. Shannon gets connected for her first zip. And she's off! The first two lines were short so you could get the hang of it. Braking was accomplished by pressing down on the bottom line by the palm of your gloved hand. The guides just had to be sure you were born with a brain, and could handle this incredibly complex maneuver. Don't laugh, you and I both know at least 50% of the population would fail at this. I'm feeling kinda "Devo-ish" here. A look at one of the first two "starter" lines. Yub nub, eee chop yub nub..... This dude was one of three others in our group who were actually from Fort Lauderdale. Small world. Random look out into the woods. Pictures fail at capturing how awesome it felt to be this high up in the trees. "Has Adam settled down from that Ewok reference yet?" This was slightly unnerving at first. Andy Samberg looks on. Shan prepares for the longest line of the tour, about 200 feet above the forest floor. A look back at it from the other side. From this platform they had a photographer snapping pics which you could purchase at the conclusion of the tour. Shan demonstrates proper braking technique. The first of two "rope bridges." This is looking back at the second longest line. A younger girl in our group came up short on both of the two longest lines and had to stop and pull herself to the platform. Hi, Elissa. Then it was time for our first rappelling experience. Truth be told, it was less frightening than it seemed. Shan prepares for the "LADDER OF DEATH!!" Thankfully, she survived. Short hike. This line had a great "tunnel" effect towards the end. The final "sky bridge." Not the scariest thing in the world, but.... ...I suppose it could be if you weren't paying attention, and.... ...it did provide a pretty nice view. Here you had to get secured in order to climb up through the tiny steps in the center of that tree which led to the next platform. And finally, looking back at the last line of the tour. This one had the best tree "tunnel." One last rappel and we were done. These two were shots that Navitat took... But you didn't think we'd end on that note did you? When there's great food involved, the answer is "hell no." This would be "12 Bones," in the Art District of Asheville. A local recommended it, and we got there just before the lunchtime rush.....as you'll see. This places once again proves the theory that the smaller and less impressive the BBQ joint looks, the better the food is. First of all, someone obviously loves ass, and secondly, "Why am I Mr. Sparkle?" The pulled pork sandwich was all sorts of awesome, but it was the potato salad that blew us both away! SO frickin' good!! Shan fully approves of 12 Bones. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some Joey Ray-like damage to do. When the lunch line starts to reach deeper into your parking lot, you know you're doing something right! Thanks for looking. Hope you enjoyed our look at Navitat! All questions, comments, and complaints are welcomed.

^^ I think I know who might have been in that costume......

If you look closely, it's obvious this thing will have no airtime, be incredibly too short, force the parking lot to sink, completely screw up the Fast Lane system, not go to Alaska, have tasteless noodles, cause the Callahan plant to close, have a much-too-long brake run, AND be painted red. I'll only ride it if the machine guns are installed.

Fixed.

So "Mad T Party" basically consists of $12 drinks, a crapload of neon, a ridiculous looking DJ, and Skee-Ball? At least Cars Land continues to look amazing.

I'm quite late to the party on this one, but thanks for educating me on "bronies." That's just what I needed, another percentage of the population I need to avoid at all cost.

Will this price hike allow you to properly staff and operate such high-quality experiences as food stands on a consistent basis? *cough* Green Eggs & Ham *cough* Honestly, I'm happy they're raising prices on a rapidly undesirable set of parks. It makes my decision to spend my money at Sea World and Discovery Cove that much easier. Thanks, Universal!!

Well, congrats on showing such high restraint there.

"Front Gate Statement"? Hell, they could save themselves $25 million and just raise Fast Lane prices another nickel. That's a big enough "front gate statement" to get so-called "enthusiasts'" panties in a wad.

Should use the building for a great dark ride instead.

THIS....a thousand times over. If anyone doubts this opinion, then go sit in a test seat somewhere. I guarantee you won't feel any pain until either... A) You forcefully try to close the restraints, or B) Someone does it for you. Just sayin'.

Being gone a week and coming back to a thread like this is one of the greatest joys of TPR.

And speaking of those zip lines, we just happened to roll past Ghost Town a couple days ago. We noticed a couple guys sawing some wood on site, so we pulled in and spoke with them for a couple minutes. It turns out they were working on the zip line structures, and gave us a little insight into what to expect. My memory's a big foggy, but I believe they said they hope to have it open in a month or so? Again, don't quote me on that. Either way, what they told us was in line with what was mentioned a few posts above. They expect to open two 400 footers first, and then larger ones later in conjunction with the park. The second picture is a crude example of how I think I remember them explained to us. I know for certain that the line headed to the top of the pole will be the finale, and you'll rappel down from that point. They weren't privy to any specific park information since they were an outside contractor. Other than that, there was nothing else going on, and it essentially looked like, well....a ghost town.

Nice coverage, Chuck. This ride looks pretty solid from top to bottom. What Porsche?

^^ I think you're trying to split hairs with your rebuttals. I could also add sporting events, non-general admission concerts, etc. etc. The simple point to be made is that you pay more for better, or "improved" experiences, no matter where you are or what you're doing. How is that any different from the Fast Lane concept? This doesn't make my driving experience worse. In any way that I can think of. Are you Jealous? I'll keep it simple, and try not to be "completely rude." The answer is no....and never will be, thanks. Hell, how do you even come to that assumption based off of what was posted?

This.

^ I know exactly how you two feel. My emotions were going a million different ways at this same time last year. But yeah, just keep Marty McSorley away from the equipment room.

^^ I try not to waste my time around the morons who generally frequent the parks' Facebook pages because it hurts my head. But by all means, feel free to grab it and post it for 'em.

^ I like that idea. Pro Tip: In your journey to Cedar Point, you are "Fast Laned" by society hundreds, if not thousands of times before you even reach the front gate. That family who's flying first class while your knees are hating you as you sit in coach? They "Fast Laned" you to a better seat. That guy with the $100k sports car who just sped by you? He "Fast Laned" you by buying a better car. That couple who's staying at Hotel Breakers while you're "slumming" it at the Breakers Express? They "Fast Laned" you to a walk into the park rather than a short drive. Face it, society is full of "Fast Laning." It's called money, and it affords you certain privileges. Crazy thing is though, Cedar Fair isn't discriminating against you. You have the same right and/or opportunity to pay the very reasonable price to skip the lines as that guy in the Porsche. Truth be told, I don't always have the money to afford certain privileges, but you won't catch me bitching about it either. It's just the way the world works. Deal with it.

Agreed!