Ongoing Road Trip TR *All pictures posted

[KGA29]

I will be posting here my TR's of the parks that I'm hitting right now on my 6 week road trip, but not pics because I'm on my dad's laptop. When I get home, I'll upload all of my pics and post them here. So yesterday I went to SFoT. It was rainy.

 

I went with my two friends from OK, their parents, my parents, and my brother. We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites, which was ok for just a place to rest your head and grab breakfast. They also had a free trolley to the park. However, it stopped at several different hotels along the way and it took over a half and hour to get to the gates.

 

When we got to the gates, our friends had to get tickets while we had gotten Outer Market season passes online. We were then told that the season pass processing didn't open until 1PM. So we headed for Titan first where we waited a couple trains for a seat in the middle. Great ride and I grayed out during the helix that Goliath doesn't have. We then wanted to ride Texas Giant, but its train was being worked on. We also wanted to ride La Vibora, but it was also closed.

 

The rain started getting harder and we rode Runaway Mountain. It was an okay ride. It was just Hurricane (from a SCBB) in the dark. We then went over to Yosemite Sam which my brother actually rode (he only rode 4 rides all day). It was a good dark ride for a SF park and had some funny moments. There is a portion of ride just before the station that is not covered and when we went through that section, it was pouring. We exited the ride and ran straight for cover under a pavillion. It didn't look good.

 

As the rain let up, we saw Giant running 2 trains empty but my friends and I went over to see if it was open. Nope. So we went to the back of the park. Is Shockwave open? Nope. Neither is Oil Derrick, Titan, Runaway Mine Train, Mini Mine Train, Texas Chute Out, Wildcatter, ACME Rockn' Rocket, or the train. My friends, their dad, and I went and rode Mr. Freeze and B:TR because they were open while the others sat under cover. We then rode some more open rides (Texas Giant opened eventually), ate lunch at Panda Express, and got our passes processed before 2:00 which was when everyone except for me and my friends left for the hotel to nap.

 

We were told that we were supposed to take the 5:00 shuttle back if it kept raining, but as soon as they left, the rain slowed. We rode Judge Roy Scream (kinda boring), Flashback, and we went to Mr. Freeze. This time they were only running 1 train, as opposed to the morning where they were running 2. Apparently someone's seatbelt had gotten stuck and could not get out of his seat for 20+ minutes. It was a little frustrating because we were towards the front of the line. We rode, eventually, in the front for another awesome ride. We then tried to ride B:TR, but it was broken.

 

Because the rain had pretty much stopped while we were standing in Mr. Freeze's line forever, we wanted to see if some of the previously closed rides had opened. Runaway Mine Train had openend and we took a spin in the back. They were only running 1 train so the line was slow moving. From the mine train, we saw that Shockwave had opened as well and we ran over there fast. This thing is an airtime monster!

 

We then went back to the front of the park to meet their parents, but their trolley was delayed and we rode the teacups and the ACME Rockn' Rocket before they arrived again. They wanted to ride Judge Roy Scream, but we had no desire for another ride so we rode Texa Chute Out which had reopened. For the line, the ride is not worth it, but for the nolstalgia, it was great! We then convinced my friend's mom to ride B:TR. There was no line and she liked it so much that we rode again, this time in the front seat.

 

Then my brother and mom came and we rode Runaway Mine Train again because my brother likes mine trains. Then we rode S:ToP which was great. Another ride on Shockwave and we went to ride Texas Giant again. Someone had upchucked at the exit and they closed the whole ride! It was a little rediculous because the chunks weren't even on the ride. We rode again in the back. While bumpy, it is a fun ride and the padding is nice. We then rode Boot Scootin' and made fools of our selves, but we liked the name. We ate dinner, shopped, and left.

 

Favorite coaster: Titan (was closed from late morning to late evening)

Least favorite ride: Chaparral Antique cars (boring out and back layout)

Biggest surprise: Shockwave (loads of air and loops are intense)

Biggest Disappointment: Casa Magnetica (cheesy, bad acting kids)

 

Rode: B:TR x3

Mr. Freeze, Texas Giant, Shockwave, Runaway Mine Train, x2

Titan, Fiesta de las Tazas, Casa Magnetica, Yosemite Sam, Chaparal cars, Caddo Lake Barge, Boot Scootin', S:ToP, Texas Chute Out, Judge Roy Scream, Flashback, ACME Rockn' Rocket, Runaway Mountain x1.

 

Rides closed all day: La Vibora , Oil Derrick, Wildcatter, Mini Mine Train

 

Good park although I wish it hadn't rained so much.

[spaceace12]

Nice tr so far, but, I would say the name of the park starting out, it took me till s:top and mr. freeze to figure out which park you were at.

[KGA29]

Nice tr so far, but, I would say the name of the park starting out, it took me till s:top and mr. freeze to figure out which park you were at.

 

I believe I said SFoT in the first paragraph:

 

I will be posting here my TR's of the parks that I'm hitting right now on my 6 week road trip, but not pics because I'm on my dad's laptop. When I get home, I'll upload all of my pics and post them here. So yesterday I went to SFoT. It was rainy.

 

BTW, the parks I will be going to will be WDW (Sunday!), CP (late July), SFGam (early August)

[spaceace12]

ah, sorry, must have skipped over it.

[KGA29]

Hi everyone. I'm in Orlando now. I went to Epcot for the first time last night. We rode Living with the Land, The Seas w/ Nemo and Friends, and Spaceship Earth because it closed today for a few months for refurb. We also rode Test Track with only a 30-35 minute wait. We had dinner at the Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort. I did lose my camera on Test Track so I won't have very many pictures. The only pictures that I will post are the ones that I'll be taking on my mom's camera.

 

Today, we got up early and got to MK for the opening ceremonies and rope drop. I was the first person at the Space FP machines and then we rushed over to ride BTMRR and Splash stand-by. Then we walked on to PotC. An okay ride but I like DL's better. We then got on the first raft to TSI (10:00) and explored for a bit. We found a paint brush and exchanged it for a FP for BTMRR which we rode immediately after coming back from the island.

 

Then it was our Space FP time, but on our way, we stopped and rode Jungle Cruise. We had a good skipper which makes or breaks the ride. Then before riding Space, we got BLSRS FPs. We walked by a very long line at Space and boarded. It was much different from DL's, but still very fun. We had a little time before our BLSRS FPs so we rode TTA which was relaxing and had a cool breeze. Then we walked on to BLSRS with our FPs and then left for the day. Tonight we are going to Epcot for dinner at Le Cellier and Illuminations.

[KGA29]

Evening: July 9th

 

We arrived at Epcot around 4:15. We decided to ride Journey into Imagination because it had no line. It was a little boring until the end which caught us all by surprise. We walked over to Le Cellier and were seated with our ADR's (advanced dining reservations) very quickly. That pretzel bread is to die for! My filet mignon was amazing and delicious. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone.

 

We got out of the restaurant with 3 hours until Illuminations, so we explored some of the World Showcase. First up was Mexico. I really liked the pyramid and the theming inside. The wood carver was very neat. Gran Fiesta Tour was alright, but nothing to write home about. We left Mexico and continued on left. Maelstrom had a long line, but because we hadn't waited in very many lines so we toughed it out. It ended up being about 30 minutes. The ride itself is well themed and very fun, but an extra minute or 2 would make this so much better.

 

We toured China, Germany, and Italy. Then my brother, who is now in love with TT, was getting bored of World Showcase, so we rode TT with only a 40 minute line (when they advertised 70). When we exited, we found standing room places to watch Illuminations. My brother and mom were not so keen on getting up front with lots of sweaty people (a TON of Brazilian tour groups) so they watched from the back. The show was spectacular and so amazing, words can't describe it. I loved the lights in the sky and the images on the globe. The finale was also great! We sped out of there and got back to our condo in 10 minutes.

[KGA29]

Morning: July 10th

 

We woke up a little later this morning and started out for MGM. We arrived around 9:15 and immediately got ToT FPs. Then we went back to ride Great Movie Ride. I loved this ride a lot. It was long, well themed, and different than any other dark ride I've ever been on (guides actually interacting with the ride). It was then time for our ToT FPs. My brother tried it (he hasn't been on the one at DCA, but my parents have), but didn't like it. Oh well, I thought it was great. The random drop sequences and the 4th dimension room made this ride better than DLR's.

 

I then took the opportunity to use the RnRC SR line while the rest of my family relaxed. The line didn't take long, but they were sending out empty trains for a while like it was broken. Then we walked over to the backlot for the 11:50 LMA show. The stunts were great and I really liked the end result (the movie at the end with the finale), but it was very loud and there were only a few fans blowing. We then came back here for lunch and we plan on going to AK for a few hours this evening.

[KGA29]

Evening: July 10th

 

We came back to the parks around 4. AK, which was great. THere were a ton of people leaving and we realized that the parade had just ended and so we followed the end of the parade to Africa. We pretty much walked on to Kilimanjaro Safaris and saw a bunch of animals. We then walked back through Discovery Island to Dinoland because the tip board said there were Dinosaur FPs left.

 

It was wrong, but unfortuneately the line was very short, only 10 minutes long. The ride itself was fun, but there were a lot of dark, unused spaces, and the audio was very very loud, especially at the ending. While my family relaxed and grabbed a frozen lemonade, I jumped on Primeval Whirl, my first spinning mouse coaster. It was fun, but bumpy and it had a few minor breakdowns while I was in line.

 

My dad needed some AC, so we ate dinner at Pizzafari. The food was alright, but not great. We decided to see the last, 7:30, show of Festival of the Lion King. I am so glad we did. It started to pour and there was a ton of thunder and lightning. Everyone ran for cover when the theater doors opened. The show was spectacular and much better than I expected. We then left AK and returned to our condo. The lightning and thunder continued on for a long time and they were striking very close to us. It was a little freaky.

[KGA29]

BTW, I just got a call from Lost and Found. They have my camera and I'll be picking it up tonight, so I will have pics to post in a few weeks.

[KGA29]

Morning: July 11th

 

We woke up early again and arrived at MK for rope drop. I was to get Space FPs and then meet my family at Winnie-the-Pooh, but the FP machines weren't working right away and we just got Winnie-the-Pooh FPs. We walked across Fantasyland and rode Peter Pan and IASW with small waits. Then Snow White which was much better and scarier than DL's. Mickey's Philharmagic was next, which was a fun show. I really enjoyed the scents and different effects featured in this film.

 

I then rushed back over to Space where the FP machines had since begun operating. Then we rode Winnie-the-Pooh with our FPs and then Goofy's Barnstormer just to get the credit. We walked along the back path by the train to Tomorrowland and got in line for Stitch. The show was alright and not as bad as I had heard, though I'm not sure I would do it again. The Carousel of Progress was the next thing and it was fun to see an old attraction still in operation that Walt created.

 

We had another great ride on Space with our FPs and we rode the railroad to Frontierland where we got BTMRR FPs for tonight. We're returning the MK tonight.[/b]

[KGA29]

Evening: July 11th

 

We returned to the MK around 4 and took the train to Frontierland to use our BTMRR that we had picked up earlier in the day. We sped past at least 45 minutes of line. Then my parents wanted to see the Country Bears. I thought it was boring and I couldn't quite hear all of the audio, which made some of the show confusing.

 

Then we watched the Tiki Room Under New Management which was an interesting twist on the classic Tiki Room. I liked it, although there are probably a lot of people who like the original better. Pirates only had a 20 minute line advertised, so we waited. It ended up being 20 minutes for the line and the ride conbined. We were hungry so we ate dinner at Pecos Bill Cafe. The burgers were good and there was a big fixin's bar.

 

After dinner, we headed over to Tomorrowland where we saw the new Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. It was funnier than I had expected. Then we got BLSRS FPs and rode the TTA again. Then we got some smoothies and soft serve at Auntie Freezes (which was pretty good) to kill some time before our FPs were up. Though the second ride was better, I still like DL's Buzz better because it is easier to aim. We then shopped a little on Main Street and left before the first Spectromagic parade because my brother was getting tired.

[KGA29]

Morning: July 13th

 

We woke up early and went to AK. By entering through the Rainforest Cafe entrance, we were able to get into the park before the people at the front gate. We were the first people at the rope drop. My dad and I rode EE (first train of the day) while my mom and brother got 2 FPs for EE and 2 FPs for KRR.

 

After an amazing ride on EE, we rode another safari where we saw more animals than our afternoon ride. We still had some time before the FP times were good so we walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. It was nicely themed and we saw a lot of cool animals. We walked back to Asia and my mom and I rode EE with those 2 FPs. This time we rode towards the back and I thought it was better back there. The yeti is such a HUGE animatronic!

 

Then my dad and I rode KRR with the 2 FPs. The ride was kind of wimpy, but the theming was superb. We walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek which was also well themed like its Africa partner. The animals were not very active because of the heat, but they were still visible. We tried to get into the 11:30 FN:tM, but it was full so we just explored the Discovery Island trails, shopped, and left. Tonight, we are seeing Fantasmic at MGM.

[KGA29]

Evening: July 13th

 

We arrived at MGM just before 4, hoping to get into the 4PM Indiana Jones show. When we got to IJSS, it was closed due to capacity which was a bummer, but we walked back towards the Backlot Tour. We joined the line for the tour, but half way through, it started to pour and they shut down the ride due to inclement weather. So being frustrated, my parents suggested that I ride RnRC with the SR line because surely that would be short. WRONG! The SR line was packed with tour groups and lot s of people. The tour groups were having a "battle" of cheers that got so out of control that the CMs had to come in and calm them down. The line NEVER moved in the 30 minutes that I waited. The only time we moved was when someone up the line got out of line. it was ridiculous.

 

I unfortuneately had to leave the line too because we had 5:00 reservations at Hollywood and Vine for the Fantasmic dinner package. The food was pretty good and so were the desserts. After dinner we walked back to the Backlot Tour which had opened. The props and special effects were very cool, but our guide was just average. We then wanted to see the Narnia exhibit, but since Mickey Avenue is closed because of Toy Story Mania construction, we had to walk all the way around. The exhibit itself was disappointing. It was just a summary of the movie and a trailer for the upcoming Narnia movie.

 

We still had time before Fantasmic so we saw the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It was well done and had some great puppetry. Then we proceeded to Oscar's Gas Station where, because of our dinner package, we were allowed to walk straight into the Fantasmic theater where we found decent seats an hour before. The theater filled up within 15 minutes and it was 45 minutes of waiting. The Brazilian tour groups were "battling" it out again, but it was temporarily silenced with "the wave". The show finally started and was just as amazing as DL's. A wonderful experience.

[KGA29]

Morning: July 14th

 

This morning we got to Epcot just after rope drop. I got Soarin FPs and met my family at Test Track. We walked on and then I rode Mission: Space, while my family rode TT again (my brother really likes this ride). M:S was unlike anything I'd experienced and it was intense! Orange version of course. We all then rode Ellen's Energy Adventure, which I thought was comical as well as educational. The theater/ride concept was very cool.

 

It was time for out Soarin FPs so we headed over to the Land. The line at 10:45 was already 70 minutes. (it was 110 when we left around 2). Shocked World Showcase had just opened when we got off, so we toured the other half that we hadn't on Monday. O Canada and Impressions of France, I thought, were boring, but provided some good views. The American Adventure was fun and a very good Audio Animatronics show. Otherwise, we just looked around Japan, Morocco, and UK. We left very tired and just before a thunderstorm. I don't know if we'll be returning to the parks tonight, so this could be my last WDW update.

[KGA29]

Evening: July 14th

 

We did go to the parks last night. We got to the MK ticket booths around 5 and went to Space to check out the line/FP's. They were still offering FPs but they were for later than we wanted so we just went on BLSRS with a 20 minute wait. I then sped all the way across the park and got BTMRR FPs for 7:15 and then ran all the way back to eat dinner at the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station. The food was not great and for anyone who's had good, real Chinese food, I would not recommend this place.

 

After dinner we checked out the PPF line. It said 50 minutes with the FPs for 11:00, so we decided to wait it out. The line turned out to be around 35 minutes, but it moved very slowly. We didn't mind waiting in lines because we had already ridden everything that we had wanted to, before, with minimal waits. Then we trekked over to Frontierland to use our BTMRR FPs. The stand-by line said 30 minutes but it looked longer and it was very hot with all of the body heat. The ride is very fun at dusk and probably even better at dark.

 

My dad and I then rode Splash while my brother and mom went looking for frozen lemonade. While we were in the 60 minute line for Splash, a party of 4 came through the FP line asking for a group of 2. They had extra FPs and they gave them to us. We probably skipped half of the line, which was a nice gift. I really liked the view of the castle from the top of the drop at night! We then sped out of there before the parade reached Frontierland. We weaved through the Main Street shops but were stuck just before City Hall. We watched about 3/4 of the parade which was spectacular, but afterwards, we joined the crowds and got out of there, as we were tired and ready to go.

[KGA29]

Here's an update for anyone who's been reading (if any).

 

We've been in NY for the past 2 days. Yesterday, in the Natural History Museum, I ran into one of my friends from back in California. He's the one who I go to GA all the time with. We had dinner and explored Times Square with his family last night. We also agreed to visit Coney Island the next day, which was today.

 

We met up with them around 3 today. It took us a while to get to there by Metro. Me, my friend, my dad, and his mom all rode the Cyclone with a walk on in the front. The ride is fun and bumpy, but the seats are nicely padded. My friend and I then bought a reride and chose the back. For anyone who has ridden in the back, you must know that it is CRAZY back there! So much airtime that I probably have a bruise on my upper leg from the bar. On half of the drops, we were practically standing up because of the air.

 

We purchased the on ride photo and then headed over to Deno's Wonder Wheel Park (would have done more at Astroland with more $ and time, plus the top spin wasn't working). We bought tickets ($5. Yikes!) and my friend, my brother (surprising since he hasn't ever ridden a ferris wheel), and I all rode in a swinging car. It had a good view and the swinging was a bit freaky because the wheel is so old. I did think it was a bit boring though. We left after that because it took us an hour to get back to our Metro stop from Coney Island.

 

Going to CP on Monday evening/Tuesday

[KGA29]

This is kinda long, so I’ll be putting it in three posts. If you want to skip the writing, I have a quick summary of the rides at the end.

 

Monday, July 30th

 

We arrived at CP around 2 and drove up the causeway, around the park, and parked at Breakers. In the lobby, we saw my friend who I had seen in NY, which was surprising to me, but to everyone else it was a joke. Apparently, they had been planning to meet up with us at CP for months and I was the only one who didn’t know. The funny thing was that we weren’t planning on seeing each other in NY. They were heading to the park and we checked in. Our room was in one of the older parts of the hotel and didn’t have an elevator to the third floor. So we dragged our luggage up the stairs and to our room, which was nice, but nothing special.

 

Then we set off for the park through the Soak City entrance. We called my friend to see where he and his family were, but they weren’t answering, so we started off at Iron Dragon because my brother wanted to try it. We only waited maybe 20 minutes. I thought that the ride was slow and a little boring, but the rest of my family loved it. Then we met up with them over at Blue Streak. We waited two trains for the front row. This thing is an airtime monster! It’s also really smooth for a woodie. We walked across the midway and since MaXair had broken down and Disaster Transport had an hour long line, my friend, my brother, and I rode Troika in memory of Triple Play formerly at PGA . Then my friend and I waited about 20 minutes for the back seat of Wicked Twister. This ride is FAST and very fun in the back on the back spike.

 

Next up was Chaos, which was okay and then we all rode Disaster Transport. The entrance said 45 minutes, but the wait ended up being 25. I thought that the ride was fun, but a little bumpy and too short. My brother really liked though, which is strange because he doesn’t like many coasters and he had already ridden 2! My friend’s family had already eaten, but we didn’t eat lunch, so we stopped for dinner at the Game Day Grille, while they went off to ride another ride and get frozen lemonades. The food was pretty good for amusement park food, and we just charged it to our room.

 

We met up with my friend and his mom (his dad had gone back to the hotel. He’s not a big rides guy) and I stayed with them, while the rest of my family went back to the hotel to swim and check out the lake. We rode the sky ride over to the front entrance and we walked onto Demon Drop, while she shopped. The ride was fun, but a little bumpy and loud on the runoff part. Overall, I don’t think many people will miss it when it’s gone. We then walked up the midway to MaXair, which had since opened. After waiting 4 or 5 ride cycles, we boarded. This ride was great: very fast, no bad seat, and intense!

 

My friend and I decided to brave out the long Raptor line, which only ended up being 45 minutes. We got in line for the second row, but we were invited to the front because there was a party of 2 at the front of the line and only parties of 4 behind them. O.K. We’ll take it! This ride doesn’t let up. Crazy fast throughout the entire ride and very smooth through the inversions. The only bad part about the front was the swarms of bugs that we flew through. As ot was nearing 7, we wanted to ride TTD before the park closed so we joined the line. After hearing horror stories about 2-3 hour lines, I was happy to wait only 60-75 minutes for the back. This ride is incredible! What a rush! And in the back seat, you get flung out of your seat when the train crests the top of the top hat.

 

We rode the drop side of Power Tower after a 5 minute wait. It gave a great view and the airtime was great. We then rushed over to MF to join the line at around 9:15. This line has SO many switchbacks, it’s crazy. The pass the time away, people were dancing, trying to start claps, even doing a conga line. As it got dark, MF’s lift hill lights came on, which were nice to look at. Also the Hot Summer Lights show started when we were in line. I thought, and my friend agreed, that the fireworks were lame. Hardly any of them exploded. Most of them were little balls of light that just shot straight up. The line felt like forever, but as we approached the station more than an hour later, I was excited! Instead of waiting another 20 minutes for the front, we settled for somewhere in the middle. What a ride! Especially at night! The drop felt like it was never ending and the turns and floater airtime were taken at such a fast speed that my eyes were watering (which is a sign of a good coaster). My new #1 coaster! Tired, we retreated back to the hotel and crashed at around 11.

 

First day: (ride-time waited-rating)

 

Iron Dragon-20-B-

Blue Streak-5-B+

Troika-5-C+

Wicked Twister-20-back seat-A-

Chaos-5-C+

Disaster Transport-25-B

Dinner at Game Day Grille

Skyride-10-C-

Demon Drop-walk on-B-

MaXair-25-A-

Raptor-45-front seat-A

TTD-60/75-A+

Power Tower-5-drop-B

MF-75-A+

[KGA29]

Tuesday, July 31st

 

Even though we had a late night, we woke up, showered, and were ready to go to the parks for Early Entry at 8:45. My friend’s dad had gotten a virus, so he and my friend’s mom went to a hospital and didn’t join us for Early Entry (neither did my dad, who was slow in getting up ). We entered the park again, using our Cedar Fair Maxx passes and joined the crowd. Suddenly, everyone broke into a run, including my friend and I towards Maverick. We never stopped running and passed tons of people. Since my mom and brother didn’t want to ride, they didn’t bother keeping up with us. Seeing as though this was the only time when we were going to be able to walk on, we chose to ride in the front. We only waited about 5 minutes, or 4 trains before we were launched up the hill. This ride is also incredible! It has everything you would want in a good coaster. Good speed throughout the entire ride, an amazing drop, 2 smooth inversions, an intense launch in a tunnel, several severely overbanked turns, and plenty of airtime. After getting off, we walked onto Skyhawk, which was fun, but short.

 

We then rushed over to MF, which already had a 45 minute line, but we waited an hour for the front. What a view this thing has during the day. The front was just as amazing as at night, if not better. My dad had arrived when we were in line for MF. Then we pretty much walked onto Mantis. The ride is fun, but you can really feel the trim brake on the first drop. Then another mediocre ride on Iron Dragon for my brother. My friend, my mom, and I rode Wildcat, which was pretty speedy for a little coaster. My friend’s mom had returned from the hospital, but his dad was sleeping in the hotel room. She wanted to ride CCMR and so did my brother, so we walked back there. On our way back there, we passed by the Panda Express, which looked good for lunch. We only waited 5 minutes for a seat in the middle. The ride was pretty tame, but it was a little jerky on the tight turns and little drops.

 

Just before lunch, my friend, my friend’s mom, and I rode Mean Streak. I can say that I will probably never ride it again. It was awful! Slow trim brakes, extremely bumpy, and painful! I needed to sit down and eat something, so we trekked all the way back to the Panda Express and got food. Yummy! My brother wanted to ride CCMR one more time before leaving, so we did, this time waiting a bit longer. Then my friend and I challenged our moms to a race on Gemini. As our trains started up the lift hill, we, the blue train, kept going, while their train just stopped on the lift. We continued going and they didn’t start up again until we hit the brakes. Apparently, some guy had his camera out and they had to stop their train. Eventually, they made it through the circuit. I then tried to get on Jr. Gemini, but we were too tall, and didn’t have a kid.

 

Before my family left, my friend, my friend’s mom, my dad, and I rode Magnum XL-200. What an airtime machine! We were sitting in the second and third rows and got tons of air on every hill. Then everyone left except for my friend, his mom, and me. My friend and I rode Corkscrew in the front, which was just average. Then a ride on the shot side of Power Tower. I liked the drop side better. We then made a great investment. $4 for a humongous snow cone to eat while in the hour long TTD line. Needless to say, we got tons of jealous looks in the hot, afternoon queue. We waited an extra 15-20 minutes for the front. The front was incredible, especially on the launch. It just felt faster up there.

 

His mom wanted to ride 3 things: Mantis (she’s a big stand-up fan), MF, and Maverick. So we set off to do the first one: Mantis. This time, we waited almost 40 minutes for a seat near the back. I thought it was smoother and more enjoyable in the back. Still that trim brake kills the first drop. Then my family returned from their afternoon rest, but they returned to wait for us while we stood in the very long MF line. They rode Iron Dragon again while waiting the hour that we were waiting in line. This time, waiting did not feel as long because there was the DJ who played music that made the time go by. We had a wonderful ride and she really enjoyed it.

 

We walked to the back of the park and got dinner at the new Chick Fil-A. Then my dad left, while my mom and brother rode CCMR again, and my friend, his mom, and I stood in a 90 minute line for Maverick. It seemed like it was going to take 2 hours, but the indoor switchbacks went much faster than the outside ones. This time I rode in the back. Incredible ejector airtime on the first drop back there and on the 2 airtime hills. It was also dark which added to the excitement. Now it was 9:30, so we rushed over to Magnun to see how long the line was. My friend and I wanted to ride that, and then get in line for TTD just before closing. Well we got on Magnum towards the back in only 15 minutes and then rushed over to TTD, but it had broken down and they weren’t letting anybody on. We then rushed back to Magnum for one last ride. We got the back row on the last train of the day. This ride, like MF, TTD, and Maverick was great at night. The tunnels were especially dark and fun, plus in the back you get a bunch of airtime on every drop. We left the park satisfied with what we had ridden in 2 days. I will definitely come back. I had a blast!

 

Second day: (bold means rode during Early entry)

 

Maverick-5-front seat-A+

Skyhawk-walk on-B+

MF-60-front seat

Mantis-10-A

Iron Dragon-10

Wildcat-20-B

CCMR-5-B-

Mean Streak-15-C

Lunch at Panda Express

CCMR-20

Gemini-15-B+

Magnum XL-200-15-A

Corkscrew-20-front seat-B

Power Tower-15-shot-B

TTD-75-front seat

Mantis-35

MF-60

Dinner at Chick Fil-A

Maverick-90-back seat

Magnum XL-200-10

Magnum XL-200-last train of the day

[KGA29]

CP overall:

 

I really enjoyed this park. They have so much to do! Most coasters were running 3 trains: Iron Dragon, MF, Corkscrew, Magnum, Mean Streak, Raptor. TTD, Wildcat, and Maverick were running 5 each. The ride operators were much more friendly than GA’s, but the “How was your ride?” question got old fast. Many rides were stacking, which is not a good thing and pointless when running 3 trains. This happened on MF, Corkscrew, and several times on Maverick. One thing that I did really like about this park is that, while the lines might be long, they moved faster than any other amusement park lines that I have been to (except Disney, but very close). I saw many security guards throughout the park and it was relatively clean. Definitely my favorite amusement park and I can see why it’s been voted that for 9 years in row.

[KGA29]

Friday, August 3rd

SFGam

 

We left Chicago around 8:30 and parked our car at our hotel, Country Inn and Suites, and walked over to the park around 10:00. First up, my dad and I rode Raging Bull. Coaster #94. It wasn’t intense and it didn’t have ejector air like I thought it would. But plenty of floater air. Then my mom and I rode Viper (#95) while my dad and brother got in line for Hurricane Harbor. It was pretty smooth for a woodie and delivered plenty of ejector airtime. I had bought a Gold Flash Pass online and I went to go get it because earlier in the day, they had locked themselves out of the building. Because I had my print-out from the online purchase, I didn’t have to stand in line and so the few of us with print-outs were booed as we got the first Flash Passes of the day in front of people who had been waiting an hour. I got it and joined my family in line (I know. I’m a line jumper )

 

They let everyone in around 11:15 and we grabbed a shady chair and I set off and was the first person on the purple body slide. Then my dad and I rode Tornado while my brother relaxed in Castaway Creek. Tornado was great, and I rode the big drop backwards! Then the three of us rode Bubba Tubba, which was really fun and dark. We got up pretty high on those turns. Then I went off to ride Wahoo Racers, and my dad and brother went back to Castaway Creek. Wahoo Racers was okay. Then my parent’s friends arrived and joined us by our chairs. They live in Wisconsin and drove down for the day. I swam a little in the wave pool. It was kinda strange how they cleared the pool for 15 minutes periodically. Before leaving HH, I rode the blue body slide, and 2 tube slides.

 

Back in the regular park, my mom left because she needed to do laundry and my brother and I rode Ricochet because it looked fun, and it was. My parent’s friends aren’t thrill junkies and neither are their kids. They like the water rides way more than the coasters. So we trekked all the way across the park to wait 30 minutes for the ride that I can ride in my backyard: Logger’s Run. It was the exact same ride as GA’s in CA, but it was the first time that my brother rode it (we go to GA tons of times every year, and he tries the same ride half way across the country. Go figure ). Then I was in need of a coaster, so I reserved V2 (#96) and pretty much walked right up and rode in the second car. I loved the holding brake. Then while the other family rode Yankee Clipper, my brother and I rode Whirligig. They were SO slow in loading this ride!

 

After a relaxing ride on the swings, I had reserved B:tR (#97) and so I skipped at least 30 minutes of switchbacks with my little Q-bot. A fun ride and I only had to wait 15 minutes total for the back row. I like the scenery on this one much better than on SFoT’s or SFMM’s. Then the two kids and my brother and I rode Ragin Cajun (#98 ). It was a long wait, but we spun like crazy. Even my brother liked it. Amazing! Then we decided to split up with the youngest daughter and the dad of the other family going back to HH and the rest of us going to Condor and S:UF, well mostly me. My brother and I almost walked on to Condor, which was a fun ride with a good view. Then I reserved S:UF (#99) and boarded within 15 minutes. Superman was great and the pretzel loop was very intense, but definitely not as good a s Tatsu.

 

Now at this point, I thought that I had ridden 98 coasters, but it turns out I had ridden 99. I wanted Whizzer (a classic) to be my 100th, so I rode Demon, thinking it was my 99th. So now, my official 100th coaster is Demon, which is funny, because the Demon, at formerly PGA, was the coaster that started me on coasters 6 years ago, so it was like my 1st. Then my mom came back and we all met up for dinner at Bourbon’s Café. Their hot dogs are huge! After dinner, we all rode Whizzer with a little bit of a wait. It was a fun ride with a great setting, zooming through the trees. It was nearing 8, and so a few of us went back to ride American Eagle, another coaster we passed earlier. We waited in a very long line, but eventually rode. It was great at night and I got a lot of air.

 

I then rushed over to Iron Wolf, determined to ride all 12 coasters in 1 day, and I still needed 3 at around 9:00. I walked on to the second row. I think my ears are still ringing from the constant side to side headbanging. Ouch! Then I rushed over to grab the kiddy coaster credit. Spacely’s Sprocket Rockets had a longer line than Iron Wolf. I got the third train, rode, and then joined Déjà vu’s line just before 10. This loads just as slowly as Whirligig. The capacity sign said that the last hour they had sent 300 or so riders through the ride. Even Dumbo has better numbers than that. I rode in the very back row for an awesome night ride. We shopped and left.

 

There were very many similarities between SFGam and GA. The entrance plaza, the entrance to Orleans Place, the placement of shops, restaurants, and restrooms. Logger’s Run was the exact same ride. It even slowed down and sped up at the same places. Demon had the lights on in the second tunnel, but GA’s Demon has audio and lights in the first tunnel. Déjà vu and Invertigo are in the same location. There are some rides at SFGam that GA misses such as Whizzer, the train, Triple Play, Yankee Clipper, and East River Crawler.

 

Overall, it was a very nice place for a SF park. Clean, and even the operators were better than other SF operators. I also really enjoyed the water park. Very big and tons of slides. It even closed a couple times during the day due to capacity. The lines weren’t unbearable in the morning, but grew longer into the afternoon. If I were to go again, I don’t think I would buy a gold Flash Pass. Just a regular. There were several rides that advertised Flash Pass, but weren’t using it, such as Giant drop (only was running 3 sides), Ragin’ Cajun, Déjà vu, Logger’s Run, and Iron Wolf for a bit of the day. I liked SFGam much better than GA. It’s going to be hard going back.

[youthink?]

Wow looks like a fantastic trip!

[KGA29]

Monday, August 6th

 

We ended up going to an unexpected park today to Elitch Gardens. We got in free with our Six Flags passes, even though it is not owned by the company anymore. I ran back to Halfpipe around 10:20, only to find it closed and nobody working on it. So I settled on a ride on Boomerang, which was nothing special after have riding 3 before. Then my mom and I rode Twister II. It was not a very bumpy ride but it had no airtime and was extremely loud.

 

I begun to notice a lot of rides were closed. The weather wasn't horrible (no rain or wind), and I saw no reason for so many closed rides. CLosed rides included: Thunderbolt (himalaya), Shake Rattle and Roll (top spin), Half pipe, Rainbow (it looks like it won't run anymore), Hollywood and vine (breakdance), and Shipwreck Falls (shoot the chutes). Then my brother and I rode the aviator/Dragon's Wing/Batwing, whatever. It was relaxing and had a good view. The ride before us got stuck at the top and some young riders came down very distraught.

 

I tried Mind Eraser, but the line was long and it was cycling through empty trains at the time, so we just ate lunch at the food court. Panda Express. Yummy! Then I went and rode MInd Eraser, which had, since, opened up. I think my mind really was erased due to the constant banging , but I was expecting it. I then climbed all of the stairs to ride Sidewinder. This ride is probably one of the best coasters in the park (considering there are only 7) because ofthe huge amount of airtime and intensity of the loop. Thumbs Up!

 

Then my brother and I rode The Flying Coaster (pretty original name ). This was his first flying coaster and first inversions. He was nervous, but after the ride he LOVED it! Amazing! I thought it was a very fun coaster too, a little rough though. It will not age well. With limited time, my brother and I rode the wave swinger and then we all rode to the top of the observation tower. If we had more time, we probably would have explored the water park because it looked pretty good, but we shopped and left.

[KGA29]

We're back home! Pics finally! SFoT first. We went Thursday, July 5th.

 

SFoT from Ranger's Stadium

 

Main Entrance Plaza

 

Mexico

 

Titan, the first ride of the day

 

Yosemite Sam, pretty good dark ride for SF

 

My two friends on the way to Runaway Mountain (just before it started to rain)

 

Runaway Mountain

 

Boot Scootin! The best ride at the park.

 

Texas Giant (in case the picture isn't clear)

 

B:TR good ride. Better in the rain

 

Mr. Freeze. Awesome launch

 

Shockwave. Amazing load of airtime and intense loops

 

Next photos will be of WDW

[KGA29]

Finally here!

 

First ride: Spaceship Earth because it closed the next day

 

The Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion

 

 

Cool upwards waterfall thing outside of the Imagination Pavilion

 

Look at those clouds

 

Test Track. An instant favorite for our whole family

 

Some shots from inside the que

 

 

 

Then if you read the report I lost my camera and then recovered it, so the next batch of photos isn't until the Wednesday of our trip.

[KGA29]

I only got 3 pics on the Wednesday because my battery was pretty much dead.

 

Space Mountain from the monorail

 

Castle pic

 

Crowds in Tomorrowland around 7