TPR's 2013 Japan Trip - Mini Updates!

[jray21]

Dodonpa looks amazing! I never realized how forceful it was before seeing the video. Glad you were able to film on it!

[SharkTums]

^^^I have to update her count, Taiwan had some pretty high restrictions but Japan was better even though Nagashima had two credits down that she could have ridden!

 

She really loved that Shuttle Loop! Most of the other stuff was small and she's now at the stage she really doesn't like the kiddie coasters as much anymore.

 

EDIT - You inspired me to update her count real fast and she ended the trip at 212 actual coasters and 257 Jeff Johnson credits. Her #200 was actually Space Fantasy which was probably her second favorite coaster of the trip.

Edited July 9, 2013 by SharkTums

[Jew]

Dodonpa looks amazing! I never realized how forceful it was before seeing the video. Glad you were able to film on it!

 

I had a bruise from my belt buckle because the airtime caused it to be pushed against me so hard.

 

I was also stuck in the queue with Ryan for 3 hours, so that made it much worse...

[Garet]

Does Dodonpa tend to be the busiest? I jumped in that line first purely because it opened soonest (it didn't open on time though) and eejenaka and takashiba already had pretty healthy lines waiting for it to open an hour before the opening times and whereas most coasters stayed between 1-2 hour lines all day dodonpa had a 3 and a half hour line for the rest of the day (although the hamster coaster and rapids line was bigger than eejenaka the day I went, it seemed to be the main ride for teenage couples)

[Jew]

I don't think there is such thing as a short line at Fuji-Q.

[Garet]

I don't think there is such thing as a short line at Fuji-Q.

 

What about the flats, are they normally busy too? Even the Star-Flyer,I got on after one cycle and the mouse only had a 10 minute wait which was strange since all the other coasters were pretty busy, Eejenaka had an hour line, Takashiba and the hamster coaster were 90 mins, Fujiyama 2 hours (due to randomly deciding to remove the second train when the line dipped down to just 1 hour and Dodonpa was 3-4 hours most of the day, maybe I just got lucky on the day with the flat rides. And those kinda weird run around and stamp your card rides were empty.

 

Hopefully they made Eejenaka pretty again, It had a rehab a few weeks after I left but the trains were missing a lot of covers and it looked a little strange going around the track with half the covers missing

 

[spongey]

I don't think there is such thing as a short line at Fuji-Q.

 

We had a freakish day....... 6 credits and rapids before 12pm without FP. Then used FP for Fujiyama and re-rides on Eggyjanitor and Doubledonga.

 

Doubledonga and Eggyjanitor were freaking insane.....loved them both.

 

Robb was sending out info via text before the park announced...for example got a text to say Eggyjanitor had opened. Got in line and 5 minutes later park announcement to say it had opened and ppl ran from everywhere.

 

Elissa took one for the team and was an amazing FP whore for the day!

 

20 mins to get in Haunted Hospital longest line of day.

 

With Robb and Elissa's expertise and commitment to get us on as much as they can, fortunate weather, low crowds....kill me for saying it but I loved Fuji Q and I will probably never return unless they add something I just have to ride. Was a memorable day with some great moments and I know a return visit would ruin it.

 

I will do my very best to do a trip report once I catch up with work. I can't promise much coaster analysis and pretty photos but I think I captured a good cross section of Japan and my own stupidity.

[robbalvey]

I don't think there is such thing as a short line at Fuji-Q.

We've now had some of our worst ever park visits and some "lucky" park visits to Fuji-Q. The worst being the 2007 & 2008 trips where lines were either 3+ hours (with no FastPass option at the time), or being victim to some of the craziest weather policies ever!

 

In 2011 and 2013, we actually had "tolerable" visits to Fuji-Q, mostly due to the fact that they now sell a FastPass ticket ($10 per ride) for all their major attractions. We also got VERY lucky with crowds in those years with stand-by waits being less then 2 hours for the majors (Which we had front of the line tickets for), and fairly short lines for other rides.

 

This most recent visit was probably our "best" (using that word loosely) as the crowds were pretty light (Ended up taking KidTums on the hamster coaster twice in a row due to no line at all!), and even lines for DoDonpa and Fujiyama were only 60 to 90 minutes at the peak of the day.

 

As a group, we made sure to get everyone to the park early, and our strategy of getting in one of the majors as soon as the park opened (most everyone went right to DoDonpa and/or Takabisha) and then trying to hit up the smaller credits before the lines got huge worked GREAT! Elissa and myself tag-teamed working the Fastpass kiosk so get tickets for the rides our group hadn't gotten on yet. Most of the group had most if not all of the credits in before noon.

 

There are still highly frustrating park operations to deal with (the fact that they make you take your watch off, put it in a locker, then give you a locker key to wear around your wrist that is looser than your watch!) and even though they now allow you to buy more fastpass tickets in advance, we still had to stay at the kiosk for the first four hours of the day because some coasters were shut down due to non-existent "rain" and we couldn't buy those fastpass tickets until the coaster re-opened...and then twenty minutes later they told the fastpass office!

 

Personally, I think the amount of "luck" you have at Fuji-Q is based on how the crowds are. On a day like the one we just recently had, where the crowds were very light, the park can be manageable, but on a day where it's busy, you're in for potentially one of your worst park days ever!

 

--Robb

[Garet]

There are still highly frustrating park operations to deal with (the fact that they make you take your watch off, put it in a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo, then give you a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo key to wear around your wrist that is looser than your watch!) and even though they now allow you to buy more fastpass tickets in advance, we still had to stay at the kiosk for the first four hours of the day because some coasters were shut down due to non-existent "rain" and we couldn't buy those fastpass tickets until the coaster re-opened...and then twenty minutes later they told the fastpass office!

 

I got a car unlocked on Dodonpa for a tissue stuffed in the bottom of my pockets that I didn't even notice was there when I emptied my pockets they were definately extremely thorough on what goes in the lockers.

 

I couldn't help thinking that if by some miraculous chance it did come out the very bottom of my pocket, the chances of it even coming down to the ground and hurting someone were practically 0.

[robbalvey]

fortunate weather, low crowds....kill me for saying it but I loved Fuji Q and I will probably never return unless they add something I just have to ride. Was a memorable day with some great moments and I know a return visit would ruin it.

This is exactly what is so depressing about the park - it's FULL of potential!

 

When you have to wait 3 1/2 hours for a coaster, no matter how good the ride may be, that overall experience puts a huge Taipei 101 sized damper on your visit. But when you're able to just walk onto rides, or re-ride them using the fastpass tickets and no wait, that certainly helps with the overall enjoyment of the park.

 

This most recent visit was the most "hassle-free" (although still with some hassles) we've ever had at the park, and dare I say it too, I actually had the closest I've ever had to an enjoyable visit to the park!

 

--Robb "If all of my Fuji-Q visits were like our 2013 day, I'd probably *like* the park!" Alvey

Edited July 9, 2013 by robbalvey

[australianalex]

Such a shame it seems that a lot of effort is required to have a decent day at that park. I really want to visit Fuji Q one day as Takabisha and Dodonpa look totally awesome, but I know that if I visited Japan I would quite literally dread the day I'd have to tackle Fuji Q and its seemingly ridiculous operations/policies.

[Mrlittle]

As a group, we made sure to get everyone to the park early, and our strategy of getting in one of the majors as soon as the park opened (most everyone went right to DoDonpa and/or Takabisha) and then trying to hit up the smaller credits before the lines got huge worked GREAT! Elissa and myself tag-teamed working the Fastpass kiosk so get tickets for the rides our group hadn't gotten on yet. Most of the group had most if not all of the credits in before noon.

 

See that right there is why I want to go with TPR to Japan. They will work there butts off (which always very appreciatively) to make sure we get to ride. Sounds like the system worked. Fuji Q despite the stories I have heard is one of those places I want to visit.

[cfc]

fortunate weather, low crowds....kill me for saying it but I loved Fuji Q and I will probably never return unless they add something I just have to ride. Was a memorable day with some great moments and I know a return visit would ruin it.

This is exactly what is so depressing about the park - it's FULL of potential!

 

When you have to wait 3 1/2 hours for a coaster, no matter how good the ride may be, that overall experience puts a huge Taipei 101 sized damper on your visit. But when you're able to just walk onto rides, or re-ride them using the fastpass tickets and no wait, that certainly helps with the overall enjoyment of the park.

 

This most recent visit was the most "hassle-free" (although still with some hassles) we've ever had at the park, and dare I say it too, I actually had the closest I've ever had to an enjoyable visit to the park!

 

--Robb "If all of my Fuji-Q visits were like our 2013 day, I'd probably *like* the park!" Alvey

 

Agreed. It was definitely a cut above my first visit there in 2007, although I'm not a fan of the place, either.

[Hilltopper39]

I'm anxious to hear some review of Takabisha, seems like I've barely heard anything about that ride since it opened even though it looked like it had a ton of potential. I really like the concept of a lift and a launch on the same ride.

[ernierocker]

I really like the concept of a lift and a launch on the same ride.

 

Same. There is a park in England that could of used a similar concept.

[Garet]

I really like the concept of a lift and a launch on the same ride.

 

Same. There is a park in England that could of used a similar concept.

 

Haha I think it would probably make nearly all the Uk coasters better if they upgraded to that concept

[SharkTums]

I'm anxious to hear some review of Takabisha, seems like I've barely heard anything about that ride since it opened even though it looked like it had a ton of potential. I really like the concept of a lift and a launch on the same ride.

 

I hadn't paid attention to this ride at all (mainly cause it's at FujiQ) and rode it in the front in a light rain for my first ride.

 

Had no clue it had an indoor inversion right out of the station, thought that was cool.

 

The first half (launched section) I felt was quite a bit rough. Got really banged around. Had no clue what was happening as the ride kept doing random inversions and the rain was hurting me!

 

Second half (after the lift) was much smoother, and the 121 degrees was pretty cool. Again, it was just inversion after inversion nothing really stood out to me.

 

I had to practically MAKE people take the fast passes for Takabisha as everyone else preferred the other coasters.

[robbalvey]

Again, it was just inversion after inversion nothing really stood out to me.

This was probably my biggest issue with the ride as well. As much crap as we might give B&M for their cookie-cutter inversion layouts, the one thing they do very well is unique elements. It's easy to tell a B&M Zero-G from a vertical loop to a cobra roll, etc...

 

On Takabisha, even though we were going through several different types of inversions, they all *felt* pretty much the same...just more flipping upside down over and over and over again.

 

Not a bad ride, but nothing about it, other than the big drop, really *stood out.*

 

Like Elissa, I didn't pay too much attention to this ride either and I didn't know the launch section was first. In my mind, I had thought it did the 121 degree drop first, did a bunch of stuff, and then launched you into the second half. With the lift hill coming in the middle of the ride, the pacing really lost something as it took a whole minute and twenty seconds from when we hit the brakes of the first section of the ride to dropping on the second.

 

I can totally see now even more how Smiler feels like "Two coasters stuck together." I think I would have much rather preferred the drop first and the launch second.

 

Oh, and I also felt like I got banged around quite a bit (although not terribly) on the first section of the coaster.

 

Overall, it's a solid "B" attraction, IMO.

[sspaz1000]

^^^I have to update her count, Taiwan had some pretty high restrictions but Japan was better even though Nagashima had two credits down that she could have ridden!

 

She really loved that Shuttle Loop! Most of the other stuff was small and she's now at the stage she really doesn't like the kiddie coasters as much anymore.

 

EDIT - You inspired me to update her count real fast and she ended the trip at 212 actual coasters and 257 Jeff Johnson credits. Her #200 was actually Space Fantasy which was probably her second favorite coaster of the trip.

 

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing Elissa

[Hilltopper39]

Thanks for the responses, sounds like it's good but not great which I guess is why I haven't heard much about it. I watched the Smiler POV a few times (don't think I've seen one for Takabisha) and it all just seemed like such a blur that I can see how the inversion on this kind of ride all kind of run together and don't feel unique. I didn't realize that the launch was first either, I love the lift then launch sequence on Maverick but I see how a huge pause in the middle of the ride for a lift could ruin the pacing. For a ride like Mystery Mine it kind of works with the themeing and the first half of that ride is pretty dull anyways, but an action packed first half followed by a slow lift has to be an excitement killer.

 

That's kind of disappointing, I really liked Dare Devil Dive and was hoping Takabisha and Smiler would both be bigger better longer versions of that type of ride but it sounds like for these Eurofighters maybe less might be better?

[Garet]

Thanks for the responses, sounds like it's good but not great which I guess is why I haven't heard much about it. I watched the Smiler POV a few times (don't think I've seen one for Takabisha) and it all just seemed like such a blur that I can see how the inversion on this kind of ride all kind of run together and don't feel unique. I didn't realize that the launch was first either, I love the lift then launch sequence on Maverick but I see how a huge pause in the middle of the ride for a lift could ruin the pacing. For a ride like Mystery Mine it kind of works with the themeing and the first half of that ride is pretty dull anyways, but an action packed first half followed by a slow lift has to be an excitement killer.

 

That's kind of disappointing, I really liked Dare Devil Dive and was hoping Takabisha and Smiler would both be bigger better longer versions of that type of ride but it sounds like for these Eurofighters maybe less might be better?

 

Are there that many rides that launch first then have a lift hill half way through out there as opposed to lift hill first then launch and pretty much keeping the momentum going? So far all I could think of was Takabisha, Powder Keg and Atlantis Adventure but i'm sure there must be many more out there.

[Hilltopper39]

^That may be all of them, I can't really think of any more. The point is for the pacing of the ride a lift followed by a launch might have been more effective.

[robbalvey]

Are there that many rides that launch first then have a lift hill half way through out there as opposed to lift hill first then launch and pretty much keeping the momentum going? So far all I could think of was Takabisha, Powder Keg and Atlantis Adventure but i'm sure there must be many more out there.

California Screamin'

[RoCo]

Just another quick opinion on Fuji-Q's coasters: I liked Takabisha a lot, didn't experience much head-banging at all (two rides, once in the front row, once in a rear row). And the hold at the top of the beyond-vertical drop was a kick. But I do agree that the pacing would have been MUCH better with the launch in the middle, not at the beginning. Definitely a "B" ride.

 

But Dodonpa and Eggy-J were stupid-awesome. I had sort of lost my love for 4D coasters, but figured I'd suffer through Fuji-Q's just because, what the hell, we were there and it opened. I'm glad I did. The coaster gods were indeed smiling upon us that day because I got two insanely amazing rides out of that thing, no really bruising roughness, just forceful, exhilarating maneuvers from start to finish.

 

And Dodonpa still has the (admittedly tiny) impression of my manhood in the lap restraints, I'm sure.

 

Might as well add here that these entire two weeks were just about perfect. I can't say enough good things about this trip.

[alejon]

Great updates! Dodonpa looks like it could get you a serious whiplash, if you are stupid that is, it is now on my bucket list!

 

Must Go To Japan!