Having trouble deciding which trip option

[Tanks4me05]

Alright, seeing as I'd be going nearly the whole summer before I ended up doing anything coaster related, I know I'd be getting crazy coaster withdrawals because I'd be waiting 2.5 months between the time I get out of college for the summer and New Hotness, and that would be a total of just under a full year without coasters because the last park I went to was Dorney Park in early August of 2011. It's only been four or five months and I'm getting cabin fever already. I have about $1100, so I can technically go for the most expensive option, but I'm hesitant because I want to save up for future trips, and $500+ takes a big chunk out of my remaining cash I have (New Hotness is officially fully paid for, so I don't have to worry about that.) I *RARELY* buy anything, and I am still under my parents' legal care, so I can technically blow my money completely if I want because there is nothing else I have to spend money on (undergrad degree is completely paid for by my parents; I am quite thankful for that) but it's still a huge chunk of change. It will be money very well spent (IMO) but it's still a huge chunk of change.

 

Here are my ideas:

 

1: NYC Add-on:

Pros:

-By far the cheapest of my options, estimated at about $165 as per Elissa's best guesses at this point.

-It will make the New Hotness trip a full two weeks for me.

-Being a Mechanical Engineering student, I like watching and riding crazy flat rides, and the Zamperla Air Race looks epic.

-I haven't been on the Wonder Wheel yet.

-The pizza tour. I... love... pizza.

-More time with enthusiasts like me from at least seven different countries; interacting with people from other cultures is always a fun experience for me.

 

Cons:

-It will make the New Hotness trip a full two weeks for me. I have never done a trip even half this length before. I'm not sure if I would have the stamina. I could very well be able to, but I won't know for sure.

-No world class coasters are there. Yeah Cyclone is a classic, and the portable Zamperla models are fun (I've been on clones) but they aren't top ten material, as opposed to Talon which made my #4 steel.

-I'd still be waiting the whole summer before I get to go on any coasters.

 

 

2: Dorney Park

Pros:

-I will do this trip at the end of June, so I will be able to have something to calm me down for a while.

-I get to see my uncle, and he is awesome; he lives only 20 minutes away from the park. Now that I am in college, family all of a sudden became a lot more important to me.

-I won't need a hotel so this option is $215, making it the second cheapest option.

-My uncle has dogs that are awesome.

-My uncle is also an awesome cook, so I'll have good food and I'll only have to pay for a meal or two for the whole trip, as I only live four hours away from him.

-Stinger is new to me. I have never been on an Invertigo, but my experience with Boomerangs has always been positive, so I'm looking forward to it.

-Talon.

-Demon Drop is my second favorite style drop tower (though I consider it a credit personally) short of the ARM and Larson models.

-There was a new laser maze that I wanted to try last year but decided not to for some reason.

-I'd go shooting with my uncle at the nearby range to shoot these puppies, for he owns them and I like guns almost as much as coasters:

 

 

 

Though I'm old enough to buy a rifle in New York State, my mom won't allow me to have guns in the house, so this will be one of my few opportunities to shoot until I get my own place.

 

Cons;

-I have gone to Dorney a LOT, and as much as I love the place, I was thinking of taking a break for three or four years. It's a big downside.

-You know that funny, tickly, HOLY CRAP feeling you get in your stomach when you go down a major airtime filled coaster when you haven't in a while? There aren't really any coasters that deliver crazy airtime (Steel Force is definitely fun, but the airtime is similar to a B&M) at Dorney Park, so my body will get used to coasters and I won't get that oh so special feeling; it takes months for my body to "forget" what riding a coaster is like.

 

 

 

 

3: NYC add-on and DP:

Pros:

-I will be able to see my uncle, ride a top ten coaster (Talon) a great drop tower (Demon Drop) shoot some guns, pizza tour, Coney Island, and I won't have to wait the whole summer for coasters.

 

Cons: It's pretty expensive at about $380. I can afford it, but it is taking a relatively large chunk out of my remaining money.

 

 

4: Waldameer and Kennywood:

Pros:

-Ravine Flyer II is my # 3 wooden coaster as of now.

-XScream is an ARM/Larson drop tower. Need I say more?

-I have never been to Kennywood before and I wanted to go there for years.

-Phantom's Revenge

-Sky Rocket

-Thunderbolt

-Jack Rabbit

-Thanks to Ravine Flyer II, XScream and Phantom's Revenge, I will have PLENTY of airtime to get that awesome feeling (the only way I can describe it is like a full body orgasm. It goes away on coasters, but for some reason, it doesn't when I ride the ARM or Larson drop towers.)

-This will mean I will get to ride two Larson drop towers this year (there's one at Lake Winnie.)

 

Cons:

-The second most expensive option at about $427.

-The most amount of driving out of the options: I'd drive 4.5 hours in the morning of the first day to go to Waldameer, another 2 hours south to Pittsburgh for a hotel for two nights, half an hour to Kennywood from the hotel, and then six hours or so back home the third day.

 

 

5: MarineLand and Canada's Wonderland

Pros:

-The last time I went to MarineLand was in 1997. I was four. All I remember was the kiddie coaster, walking through the animal area, the ferris weel, and getting scared out of my mind on the Huss Condor. It's essentially a new park for me.

-Say what you want about Dragon Mountain, I am intrigued by the ride.

-Leviathan; a brand spankin' new giga, and B&M's first one at that.

-Behemoth

-Sky Rider: Yeah, I actually had a lot of fun on this.

-Wild Beast: Yeah, I actually loved this ride too.

-Minebuster: Seriously, these rides aren't as bad as people keep saying.

-Shock Wave, a Top Scan, is probably one of the craziest flat rides I have ever been on.

-Sledgehammer is a wondrous ride to look at. Not the most intense in the world, but if I had to choose what flat ride I could gaze at for a whole day, it would be Sledgehammer.

 

Cons:

-I already went to CW.

-With New Hotness, I'm already going to KD and Carowinds. Since the three of them are former Paramount Parks, they have a LOT of the same coasters, so New Hotness won't be as unique (and I've already been to CW and KD before; they're good parks, but they are really similar.)

-By far the most expensive option at about $547.

-The second day will be a long day. I'd have to get up at 8:30, and to save money from an extra hotel night because I'd be doing the fast lane pass, (even with two hours of ERT at an ACE event four years ago, I was just barely able to get on all the rides that I wanted) I'd be ready and at the park by 10:00, and I'd leave by 10:00 PM and get back home by 2:30 AM the next day. I've been in college, and I regularly stay up until 3:00 or 4:00 AM anyway, so I'm used to that kind of schedule, but it is still pretty grueling.

[chadster]

hmmmmm....Save your money for crap on the trip? IDK, I'd probably go with NYC add-on, not a fan of NYC and most of that is from being overwhelmed, but Coney is worth a re-visit.

[sspaz1000]

Can you tell me why a Dorney/ coney island would be that much more expensive? If you'd be seeing your uncle, no hotel rooms at all, because seriously coney island is what hour and a half from Allentown, if that, I'd bet less, since it takes me an hour and half to get to manhattan from my place and I'm 20 miles down the turnpike from Dorney.

 

And if your going to Dorney ask your uncle to pick up some coupons for the park, in this area they are everywhere once late spring hits.

[Tanks4me05]

^Coney Island is about $165 all according to Elissa for the New Hotness; she estimates $80 for the day and $85 for the extra hotel night. Dorney is $215 because it's the cost for the whole trip, not just the tickets. The same goes for all the other trip options. I'm hyper meticulous with this stuff. Also, Coney Island and Dorney Park are actually two completely separate trips. I'd do DP at the end of June to hold myself over until August when New Hotness starts, and then NYC is the add on on 7/30 and 7/31.

 

 

If you want details as to why I'm spending so much money for Dorney:

 

6/21/12

-Leave for Len’s (Kutztown, PA) by 10:00 AM

-Arrive at Len’s by 2:30 PM

Distance from home to to Len’s: Approx. 229.9 miles

Gas money at $4.50/Gallon: Approx. $52.85 (the car I'll use, a 2005 Toyota Sienna, gets 19.5 mpg)

-Go shooting with Len at about 4:00-ish

 

 

 

 

6/22/12

-Leave for Dorney Park (3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown PA) by 9:30 AM

-Arrive at Dorney Park by 10:00 AM

Distance from Len’s to Dorney Park: Approx. 14 miles

Parking: $10

Entrance Ticket: Approx. $42.39 with tax

Food: $50

-Leave for Len’s by 10:00 PM

-Arrive at Len’s by 10:30 PM

Distance from Dorney Park to Len’s: Approx. 13.7 miles

Gas money at $4.50/Gallon: Approx. $6.40

 

6/23/12

-Leave for home whenever

-Arrive at home whenever

-Distance from Len’s to home: Approx. 231.8 miles

Gas money at $4.50/Gallon: $53.50

 

Total Money: $215.14

[sspaz1000]

So, Dorney and Coney isn't really a combo then, since your doing them at two different times. But definitely if you look into the coupons for Dorney you save $15-20, since you seem so into the whole $ factor, there are ways to cut down savings there.

 

Are you really going to eat $50 worth of food at Dorney, I know their food is expensive, but seriously I wouldn't be spending $50 on it. Right now I can see about $30 for food, and that's two bottles of water, a burger and fries, and a soda.

 

But since you are into planning every last detail, go with the coney island add on because all you have to do is give Elissa the money and the rest is taken care of. Save your money for the new hotness trip. You never know what extra stuff you'll want to buy, or if something else pops up.

[cal1br3tto]

But since you are into planning every last detail, go with the coney island add on because all you have to do is give Elissa the money and the rest is taken care of. Save your money for the new hotness trip. You never know what extra stuff you'll want to buy, or if something else pops up.

Totally agreed. I highly recommend the TPR official add-ons, not just for the convenience factor, but also for the extra time to get to know fellow TPR members (and maximize time with TPR friends during any post-trip add-ons). Even one day can help a lot with that, no matter how few or many people you know.

 

Do you already have your day-to-day spending for New Hotness worked out? You might want the flexibility to, say, head over to a restaurant with friends at night, or enjoy random tourist attractions we may come across.