laqueefa Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 (edited) I decided to check out the park yesterday and make sure my renewed Gold Pass worked. Forgive me if this update seems a bit lazy, but I had decided to visit the park after my Muay Thai training (right down the street), so my legs were useless and felt like Jello. So lets get to the info, shall we? I got to the park around 5pm and I noticed a lot of families leaving, despite the "family movie night" promotion. This made finding a parking spot was a breeze. Always a good sign for lines! The first thing I noticed was the massive new Stadium. Its massive! It really is a thing of beauty. The next thing I noticed was the beautiful new paint job on Flight Deck. It really makes the ride pop vs. the black drab track that used to once peek through the top of the gate and trees. Only one thing was wrong. It wasn't running. While the parking gods were kind, the inverted and forceful B&M gods were collectively laughing at me.Once I made it to the entrance I noticed a lot of Indiana Jones and Star Wars music playing behind their announcement promos. Don't forget about your perks, pASS holders! Do you have special needs? Prepare to take a walk. This brings back so many childhood memories. The park looks pretty good. A lot of the buildings have received new paint and singage, the landscape was green and bright, but one thing stuck out like a sore thumb... The concrete just passed the turn-style looks in serious need of some love and there's only so much of me to go around. LOVE ME, DAMMIT! TELL ME IM PRETTY, MOMMY! MOMMY? Phew! That's better! Sigmund Freud endorses this pic. Plenty of parking! 6CO2 + 6H2O ------> C6H12O6 + 6O2 I think I can see Flight Deck testing! OMGZ!!! SO CROWDED! The small white sign on the building said "Casino", and is probably the construction company handling the build. I'm not going to talk like I know what this building is. So with that said, this definitely looks like a new banquet hall being built in the picnic area. If you enjoyed the all you can eat 'Boo'ffet with your Haunt experience last year, this is the area where you ate. This could also possibly house a new restaurant and beer garden for the Amphitheater. There are some music festivals on the calendar this season. I may have to attend them and do a review. Please excuse my coaster boner. Coaster Con! Coaster Con??? This could use some paint. ♪♪You just got painted, and this is crazy.. but could you stop testing so I could ride you already?♪♪ Such a tease.This is how Flight Deck for most of my visit. They would send a train up the lift, stop it in various areas of its lift, and eventually send it through after long periods of wait. It was still sending empty trains as I got to my car to leave later in the night. Such a shame. Flight Deck packs a punch in its short layout, and is a must ride for anyone visiting the park.Since my legs were useless, I chose to get all you fine people some shots of the park from the great Delta Flyer/Eagle's Flight. I'm glad the park kept these around. The views of the park are great and the convenience they provide is unmatched. I miss these things at Disneyland.What did I learn while riding the skies? A lot of rides were down/closed. Endeavor - closed. Drop Tower - closed (but testing). Grizzly and Demon - (never saw a single train running). Delirium - closed. I love Bay Area weather! Light crowds everywhere Rip Roarin Rapids was a Rip Roarin walk on! This ride needs a new program. Its basically a glorified rocking chair... but with fire! Oh, Hi. Another great ride, closed. What gives?! Nice aft! aaaaaaaand another closed! Closed! ...You noticing a theme here? Yup! Closed. Tiki's be twirlin though! So this is where everyone is! People are watching karaoke! Horrible, horrible karaoke! We maybe Cedar Fair, but we got Disney movies for dat A$$.Well, that's it for aerial shots from around the park. Next time I'll go on a week where my training isn't so intense and I can get more pictures from the areas I missed.Now, no visit would be complete without a ride on Gold Striker! It was only a 15min wait. With all the ride closures, this was the highlight of my day. I rode the hell out of this ride, from the commercial shoots before its opening, to the end of its first season. Its such a thrilling, out of control coaster. It's hands down the best woodie in California, by far. BUT REALLY, PEOPLE!!! Can we keep this ride looking beautiful!? I couldn't believe the amount of graffiti in the queue! Not only was I shocked with the amount, but people were actually tagging their Instagram and Twitter handles... Can we put a warning on the entrance sign in small print stating, "Any said person caught defacing park property will be turned over an employees knee and thoroughly spanked!" Better yet, how about we get these queues sprayed with NEVERWET and call it a day? Play some Plinko, win some front of the line passes. Seems legit. Here we go! These look new. Video killed the radio star. I wonder what the weathers like? Oh, thanks! I spy a Minion! They should peruse these people Evidence at the scene of the crime. Poor Goldie Obligatory Instagram filtered picture. The graffiti in the queue was definitely depressing, but the ride on Gold Striker was just how I remembered it. Fast, unrelenting, tons of force, and over before you know it. Probably how some of my ex-girlfriends would describe me. YOLO Well that does it for my update. I will probably do another update in a couple of weeks (next week is a no go due to a wedding South Lake Tahoe). So leave your requests of park things to cover in your comments. Suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated. Edited June 8, 2014 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glouthan Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Great TR! I really enjoyed reading through - every trip report should be like this. Flight Deck is looking good in it's new colors. Sad to see it isn't open, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 8, 2014 Author Share Posted June 8, 2014 Wow! What a fantastic report! Great photos! Front page worthy! Thank you for taking the time to post this! Kind of a bummer that so many rides were closed. Hope it was just an off day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milst1 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 That first photo of Gold Striker was awesome. Great report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laqueefa Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Great TR! I really enjoyed reading through - every trip report should be like this. Flight Deck is looking good in it's new colors. Sad to see it isn't open, though. Thanks! and I agree, the new colors are a major improvement. I'm eager to see if they touched up any of the paint in the queue to match/highlight. Wow! What a fantastic report! Great photos! Front page worthy! Thank you for taking the time to post this! Kind of a bummer that so many rides were closed. Hope it was just an off day. Thanks Robb, and thanks for putting it on the front page! I hope it was just an off day too. Flight Deck, Endeavor, and Drop Tower and some of my must rides when I visit. That first photo of Gold Striker was awesome. Great report! Thanks! It was the wrong kinda day for shorts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 That first photo of Gold Striker was awesome. Great report! I agree. I actually used it today in one of my Coasting For Kids tweets. Hope that was ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 That TR was very entertaining. Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laqueefa Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) That first photo of Gold Striker was awesome. Great report! I agree. I actually used it today in one of my Coasting For Kids tweets. Hope that was ok! Totally fine with me, Robb. That TR was very entertaining. Thanks for posting. Thanks for reading! and take that high school guidance counselor! I did something! Edited June 9, 2014 by laqueefa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swornenemy Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Good trip report. I'm gonna be heading out on Tuesday to get my Goldstriker fix. If I can remember to take some pictures I will put together a report myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 If I can remember to take some pictures I will put together a report myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterBeagle Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 That was just an off day and I'm suprised they don't make the goldstriker crew clean graffiti last year we had to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laqueefa Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Good trip report. I'm gonna be heading out on Tuesday to get my Goldstriker fix. If I can remember to take some pictures I will put together a report myself. What time are you thinking of heading out? I might have a Muay Thai session that day and will be pretty close to the park before work. That was just an off day and I'm suprised they don't make the goldstriker crew clean graffiti last year we had to do it. I'm sure it was an off day for rides (just my luck), but I am also surprised that none of the graffiti was cleaned off Goldie. Honestly, NeverWet is an anti-graffitists wet dream and parks should be covered with it from head to toe. In fact, any park visitor who loves water rides but hates getting wet should NeverWet their park attire and go nuts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geauga Dog Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Great trip report. The park looks so much better now than it did when I was there in 2001. I agree that the first photo of Gold Striker is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Great Report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Great TR! Very entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailisun98 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Wouldn't it be awesome if they tore down the amphitheater and inserted an intamin megalite? Well, they would have to relocate a few rides but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth7E7 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I rode Gold Striker during the filming shoot last year (I think it was last year) but I don't remember the ride having some many sides up on the ride. Does anyone know why or when it was done? I used to visit Great America a lot when I was younger, but when they removed Stealth and put in the water park that just turned me away from the park. They didn't invest in new rides for a while and the crowds that go there (this was a while back of course) just turned me off from visiting the park. I wished they would do more with the park to make it more exciting for roller coaster fans, but they haven't. So now I get my season passes for Six Flags and enjoy my time at Discovery Kingdom. Although there are not that many rides over there, there is something about the atmosphere that makes it more enjoyable than Great America. -Stealth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrewoplis Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I don't know what it is, but the park seems so much... CLEANER! It could just be the photos, but everything looks a lot more spiffed up since the last time I was there, which was only a little less then a year ago. Flight deck does look nicer now, but I do miss the old black paint job, made the ride look more bad a$$ if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singemfrc Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I rode Gold Striker during the filming shoot last year (I think it was last year) but I don't remember the ride having some many sides up on the ride. Does anyone know why or when it was done? I used to visit Great America a lot when I was younger, but when they removed Stealth and put in the water park that just turned me away from the park. They didn't invest in new rides for a while and the crowds that go there (this was a while back of course) just turned me off from visiting the park. I wished they would do more with the park to make it more exciting for roller coaster fans, but they haven't. So now I get my season passes for Six Flags and enjoy my time at Discovery Kingdom. Although there are not that many rides over there, there is something about the atmosphere that makes it more enjoyable than Great America. -Stealth The promo rides were April 30-May 4, 2013. I was there on 4/30. They started adding the new walls and tunnels right after the promo shoots due to noise complaints from a neighboring business. They were recently seen standing on the roof with decibel meters again, so I wouldn't be surprised if more tunnels and/or walls were added later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swornenemy Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Good trip report. I'm gonna be heading out on Tuesday to get my Goldstriker fix. If I can remember to take some pictures I will put together a report myself. What time are you thinking of heading out? I might have a Muay Thai session that day and will be pretty close to the park before work. Gonna try to be there all day. Wouldn't it be awesome if they tore down the amphitheater and inserted an intamin megalite? Well, they would have to relocate a few rides but... I've thought of that for a long time, with that and the picnic area removed there would be plenty of space for something fun. Not gonna happen, but it's fun to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laqueefa Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Wouldn't it be awesome if they tore down the amphitheater and inserted an intamin megalite? Well, they would have to relocate a few rides but... While a Megalite would be awesome, I dont like the idea of removing the amphitheater. I have fond memories of some major concerts when I was younger at that amphitheater. They have some concerts on the books, and my hopes are they look to book more in the upcoming seasons. It gives the park variety, and who knows with the new stadium hosting shows... depending on the booker, they could pick up some tours that the stadium talent buyer passes on. I used to visit Great America a lot when I was younger, but when they removed Stealth and put in the water park that just turned me away from the park. They didn't invest in new rides for a while and the crowds that go there (this was a while back of course) just turned me off from visiting the park. I wished they would do more with the park to make it more exciting for roller coaster fans, but they haven't. So now I get my season passes for Six Flags and enjoy my time at Discovery Kingdom. Although there are not that many rides over there, there is something about the atmosphere that makes it more enjoyable than Great America. -Stealth While I dont attend the water park (a friend got Mirsa from her visit), I can see why it was added. We have a Raging Waters park on the East side of town. A pretty far trek for a lot of Northern San Jose and Santa Clara residents. Plus it adds diversity to the park. I imagine some families enjoy being able to split off and ride some coasters in between their time in the water park. In my case, once I've ridden a water slide a couple times, I'm done with it. A nice spin on Flight Deck and/or Goldie could help dry and cool you off! As far as investing in the park, lets place blame where it belongs. The Paramount era SUCKED. Once they passed their first year of ownership, they realized they didn't know how to run a park, went totally hands off, and the park went to $hit. The park was dirty, buildings and rides were faded and old looking, families stopped attending, and gang members were running rough shot through the park. I don't know what it is, but the park seems so much... CLEANER! It could just be the photos, but everything looks a lot more spiffed up since the last time I was there, which was only a little less then a year ago. Flight deck does look nicer now, but I do miss the old black paint job, made the ride look more bad a$$ if you ask me. It is! Sure, there were some kiosk stands that looked a little sun bleached, but for the most part the buildings and common areas were clean. The bathrooms looked cleaner than usual (probably due to the low crowds), but I noticed it too. It will be nice to see them keep it up under heavier crowds. Good trip report. I'm gonna be heading out on Tuesday to get my Goldstriker fix. If I can remember to take some pictures I will put together a report myself. What time are you thinking of heading out? I might have a Muay Thai session that day and will be pretty close to the park before work. Gonna try to be there all day. Cool! maybe we will run into each other. If you're single rinding (I wish they had some single rider lines), maybe we can hit a couple together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swornenemy Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Sounds good to me. I'm going solo as my friends had something at the last minute that's preventing them from going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laqueefa Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Sorry I couldnt get out today. I actually got called in to jury duty vs. stand by-phone in. I sat in that office for 3 hours dreaming of airtime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Westate Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 So nice to see Carowinds' old swings still there. Also nice to see a bunch of water in a former Paramount Park. Unlike a certain park on a state line, somewhere in oh say, the Carolinas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoaster Rider Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Would be cool if the Waterpark could get those drop floor slides. Just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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