East USA trip 2015 planning

[dragon2000]

Hello everyone, going from lurking in the forums to posting something serious.

 

Trying to be brave this coming year and adventure out to the USA from England for the first time since 1995 when my parents took me to Disney World.

 

In the past couple of years and I have gotten into playing pinball (hopefully some of you are familiar - think silver ball and flippers). There is a big pinball competition called 'Pinburgh' held each year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and this year it happens to be at a time of year when I can actually make it (July 2015).

 

I'm a teacher so have five weeks summer holiday from half way through July to the end of August. Therefore, as I'll be coming from England I'd like to extend my visit by doing a road trip of some theme parks around the area in the East. I've dreamt of visiting places like Cedar Point, Busch Gardens and the Six Flags parks for many years. Can you help me make this an awesome trip?

 

Here's my basic outline of the trip so far, though it may have to be cut down depending on cost - if anyone has any thoughts on the order, places to stay or any other tips, please advise:

 

Day 0 - Fly to New York (which airport do most people fly into from England? Is there even a choice?)

Day 1 - New York, touristy things like ferry past Statue of Liberty, Times Square; riding the Cyclone, Thunderbolt and Wonder Wheel

Day 2 - Six Flags New England

Day 3 - Dorney Park

Day 4 - Knoebels

Day 5 - Hersheypark

Day 6 - Kennywood

Day 7, Day 8, Day 9 - Pinburgh pinball competition @ Replay FX expo, David L Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh

Day 10, Day 11 - Cedar Point (two days is best?)

Day 12 - Kings Island

Day 13 - Holiday World (and water park?)

Day 14 - Dollywood

Day 15 - Six Flags Over Georgia

Day 16 - Carowinds

Day 17 - Busch Gardens Williamsburg (I'd be interested in doing one of their behind the scenes coaster tours if on?)

Day 18 - Kings Dominion

Day 19 - Washington - touristy things like White House

Day 20 - Six Flags America

Day 21, Day 22 - Six Flags Great Adventure (two days is best?)

Day 23 - Back in New York for flight home to England

 

I based this the assumption that flights and car hire would work out cheaper starting and ending in the same place - would this be true? I also assume the flight from England to New York is direct.

The other option would be to fly into Pennsylvania (probably not a direct flight) and start and finish the trip there. This might reduce the number of days I need a hire car by 3. Any thoughts?

 

General questions - if anyone has any answers/advice that would be awesome:

*Car hire? Has anyone from Europe got tips for hiring in the USA? What size cars are best (drive a small Volkswagen at home)?

*Is it best to drive in the mornings to a new theme park each day and then have a nearby hotel for overnight, rather than driving each night to the next destination? How does it work with checking into accommodation?

*Where to stay? Would you have a different place each night? Or can some of these places have a central hotel 'base' that you could drive out from?

*How much would you budget for accommodation each night?

*How much would you budget for food each day? I'm not a big eater at all!

*Are season passes worth it for the Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks? Can they be bought by non-nationals? Can the be bought while I'm still in England or does it have to be in person?

*Water parks? Are any adjoining water parks other than Holiday World's worth visiting if I only have the one day?

*What queue-busting options are there at each park? How much should I budget for them?

 

I appreciate this is a bucket load of questions. But I would be eternally grateful if anyone can provide any help to make this trip amazing!

 

Thanks,

Andrew

[Philrad71]

Wow...this looks like a very aggressive schedule and while I can't answer all of your questions, I will provide some tips of what I know...

 

Flying into the US - You could fly into most any big city from London on the East Coast, so don't feel that you have to fly into NY only. I know that airports like Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, DC, Boston all have international airports that you may be able to get in and out of much easier than the one's in NY without transfers. You might even be able to fly directly into Pittsburgh, so it might be worth it for you to check into that on your countries airport websites.

 

Rental cars - Renting a car is easy in the US. Any airport in the US will have kiosks where you can rent a car. Hertz, National, Alamo, etc...they are all about the same in terms of rates. If you are traveling alone, a compact or economy should be all you need. Check out some of their websites or check out Orbitz or Priceline to get rental car and hotel comparisons.

 

Hotels - Depending on what your comfort level is with hotels will determine where you will want to stay. I prefer Hampton Inn's, but they are pricey in cost (normally $120 per night average). The thing that I like about Hampton Inn's is that they are always nice and clean. There are other cheaper alternatives if you are looking for a bed, bathroom and tv. Super 8, Motel 6 and Red Roof Inn's can vary between $50-100 per night depending on where they are located. Some that I have stayed in have ranged from very nice (for the cost) to somewhat sketchy in others - you may want to read some online reviews of hotels around or near parks as there can be a lot of variance in cost and quality. Figure any hotel near or in a theme/amusement part is going to be higher priced than one that is say - 25 miles or more away.

 

Parks - It looks like you want to hit up several Cedar Fair parks (Dorny, KI, KD, CD, Carowinds) so paying the $189 for the Platinum Pass might be well worth it versus paying the gate cost for each park. For example, if you get a two day pass into Cedar Point & Soak City, you will pay $83.99 online and more at the gate. The other nice perk with a PP is that it also covers parking at their parks which would be $10-15 per day, per park. Note that for $288, you can add in the dining plan to your Platinum Pass if you wanted to eat at parks versus outside restaurants.

 

Cedar Point & Great Adventure: Two days or one? I would give yourself two days at Cedar Point unless you buy the Fast Lane Plus. You could do it one day with that, although you would still be rushed to get on all of the coasters, major rides and have time to hit up Soak City. Great Adventure to me is a one day park - especially if you upgrade to the Flash Passes. Their water park is not included and while I have never been there, looks like your standard water park.

 

Six Flags season passes - I believe that it covers all of their parks, but does not include parking and some of the other perks that the Platinum Pass offers. Still, the cost of going to four SF parks would be covered with a season pass as admission into each park is quite high. In looking at their website, it looks like anyone with a credit card or Paypal can purchase online...but due to currency conversion to the Pound, I am not sure if this would save you money versus paying with American dollars at the gate. Either way, you can choose to buy them online or at the gate of whichever park you visit first.

 

Travel to parks - this is tricky because I am not sure of the time you have to travel. Some parks like Dorney, Kennywood & Six Flags America are not all day parks in my opinion, so you might be able to hit the road early on days you visit those parks in order to travel to the next one.

 

Water parks - almost all of the parks you have listed either have adjoining water parks, parks nearby, or parks that are included in park admission. Kennywood is the only park I can think of that doesn't have a water park attached or very close by...

 

Day 2 - Six Flags New England - water park onsite

Day 3 - Dorney Park - water park onsite

Day 4 - Knoebels - small slides and a really cool Olympic sized pool - individual fees.

Day 5 - Hersheypark - water park onsite

Day 6 - Kennywood - no water park

Day 10, Day 11 - Cedar Point (two days is best?) - water park included onsite with Platinum Pass purchase

Day 12 - Kings Island - water park onsite

Day 13 - Holiday World (and water park?) - AWESOME water park onsite

Day 14 - Dollywood - water park nearby (separate admission)

Day 15 - Six Flags Over Georgia - new water park onsite and one nearby (separate admission)

Day 16 - Carowinds - water park onsite

Day 17 - Busch Gardens Williamsburg - water park nearby (separate admission)

Day 18 - Kings Dominion - water park onsite

Day 20 - Six Flags America - water park onsite

Day 21, Day 22 - Six Flags Great Adventure (two days is best?) water park onsite (separate admission)

 

Most of these are your standard water parks with similar rides and slides. Some stand-outs from personal experience or from what I have read on here:

 

Dollywood's Splash Country

Holiday World

Busch Gardens Water Country

 

Well, I hope that this has answered some of your questions. Hope you have a great time while you are here - I am sure that you will have fun if you can get to even half of the parks on your list!

 

I'm exhausted just thinking about hitting up that many parks in such a short period of time. Good luck!

[andybarnes84]

Lots of really useful information from Philrad71, really does cover everything.

 

We did a similar trip a couple of years back, only 2 weeks however an action packed itinerary and I posted a trip report which might give you an insight into things:

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=62989

 

From a UK perspective, few little things worth thinking about:

 

1. Newark was a great airport to fly into and not as intimidating as JFK, quite easy to navigate out of. Cheap flights usually easily available with United from most major airports here in the UK.

 

2. We also picked Newark from a strategic perspective, as it is close to Jersey City. As you have a car, to get into NYC easily, you can stay in the Newport area of Jersey City and take the brief trip on the cheap PATH Metro train, avoiding the prices of NYC hotels and without the stress of driving anywhere near Manhattan. We stayed in the Candlewood Suites Newport/Jersey City.

 

2. Book your pre-paid car rental here in the UK so that everything is included, you can get good discounts for booking flight+car with the usual companies, we usually opt for ebookers. In terms of rental companies, we generally choose Alamo as their prices are pretty good for UK customers through sites such as ebookers. Can't go wrong with most of them, but avoid the lesser known companies. Opt for a couple of car classes above the lowest as the price between them is negligible. We looked at dropping off in a different location but you do have to pay a hefty fee to do this.

 

3. I used Tripadvisor to check out all the hotel possibilities, generally worked really well but don't get too fussy about the class of hotel as you really don't have much time in the room with this kind of trip. Once the hotels have been chosen, book via Trivago for the best deals. Don't think too religously about staying right next to the park unless it's going to be a long day. Think about the driving distances between parks and how long you realistically expect to stay in the park (full day or half day), there will be some where you get things done quickly and can get a headstart with the driving and possibly stay somewhere half way. I often struggle with late night drives for the first 2 or 3 nights as you adjust to the time zone/s. If you want flexibility then Booking.com is your friend, just make sure they are free cancellation rooms with no deposit taken at point of booking.

 

4. Join Club TPR (if you haven't already) for many really good discounts on park entry that will probably cover the cost of membership!

 

5. These trips are flippin knackering! Remember when TPR do them, the coach driver does the monotonous bit! But you'll find the adventure of it all will keep you motivated. Your plan is incredibly ambitious, plus it's the height of the Summer holidays, so give it a good hard think when it comes to fatigue, heat etc plus hours of driving

Edited January 11, 2015 by andybarnes84

[dragon2000]

Thank you both for replying. Your information is really helpful.

 

I did see your excellent trip report Andy as I was searching if anyone had done a similar trip before, so the itinerary is shared a little. Am going to read it again now and get excited!

 

Phil you may be right in that this is a crazy and tiring plan. Do I need to cut it down? If you had to chop anything out what would it be?

It sounds like Holiday World's water park is the only one I really have to venture into. The coasters/main park attractions are my main focus.

 

Just hope this all works out

[andybarnes84]

Problem is that pretty much every park you have planned to go to is a must do (haven't been to Carowinds yet) other than Six Flags America. As you'll probably have a season pass to save mucho dollars, I'd make SFA a brief stop rather than a full day thing.

 

Last summer we flew into Chicago and covered a lot of the Midwest such as SFGAm, Holiday World, SFOG, Dollywood, Kings Island, Cedar Point (again) and Indiana Beach over another 2 week period.

 

I don't want to burst the planning bubble but it's not a bad thing having to go back again for another amazing trip

Edited January 11, 2015 by andybarnes84

[JRice92]

Day 17 - Busch Gardens Williamsburg (I'd be interested in doing one of their behind the scenes coaster tours if on?)

 

The behind the scenes coaster tour at Busch Gardens is EXCELLENT! It's well worth the extra money! When I went in June last year they were only giving tours on Wednesdays & Saturdays though. The times for July may be different, hopefully it'll work out on your schedule.

[GwaziBSRider1]

Pittsburgh "local" chiming in here!

 

I can say this with 99.9% certainty: you will NOT get a direct flight from England to Pittsburgh. There was one to/from London, but it discontinued several years ago. You might be able to fly in/out of Philadelphia.

 

I hope you will have some other free time in Pittsburgh because we do have our share of interesting things. A few examples would be the Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines (two of the last existing public transportation Funiculars) and the Andy Warhol Museum (the world's largest museum dedicated to a single artist).

 

Rental cars are cheaper when rented and dropped off in the same location. Most companies charge a fee when dropped off somewhere else; this fee varies by company, locations, etc. Also, some companies have geographical restrictions on places to take the vehicle. They'll charge you so much per mile traveled outside of that area.

 

As for driving, I'm personally more likely to do heavy traveling after visiting the park. That being said, you may be more of a morning person and want to drive earlier. It's really all up to you. Just be careful of the metro areas during "rush hour" times. For the longer drives, you may want to stay in between the parks.

 

Since you're going to be visiting Kennywood and the city, I'd get a hotel Downtown for both. It's not long drive from the city to the park. At Cedar Point, I'd stay on site for the extra hour in the park each day.

 

I would definitely invest in the season passes for both Cedar Fair and Six Flags. Buy a Platinum Pass from Dorney and a Gold Pass from SFNE, and you'll also get free parking from everybody. I would e-mail both parks to see about International purchases.

 

For the BGW coaster tours, you'll have to look on their calendar as they're not offered every day.

 

This is a very ambitious itinerary, but it will be one hell of a trip! Hope all of this info helps you out!

[coasterbill]

This sounds like a great trip! Just a few things...

 

*Car hire? Has anyone from Europe got tips for hiring in the USA? What size cars are best (drive a small Volkswagen at home)?

 

I'm not from Europe but I am from New York where you'll be renting the car and rent cars frequently around the country.

 

I don't know anything about what's involved with renting a car if you're from out of the country so this may not apply to you but it's worth looking at.

 

Unfortunately my best advice on renting a car is DON'T RENT A CAR IN NEW YORK STATE IF YOU CAN AVOID IT. The price of renting a car in New York state is ridiculous compared to basically anywhere else in the country.

 

You have the right idea by picking up and dropping off a car in the same place but New York should not be that place. I know you said in your post that you might consider flying to Pennsylvania and I would look into the cost of the flight versus the cost of the rental car because not only would you need the car for 3 less days but you wouldn't be renting it in New York. Just as an idea... I didn't even shop around but I just checked the price of renting an economy car for 21 days in New York City (where you'd probably get it from) and then 21 days in West Mifflin PA (near Kennywood and Pittsburgh). I just went with the first result that came up...

 

In Pennsylvania it was $476.97 and in New York it was $1495.99. And that doesn't account for the fact that you would need the car for less time in PA. Of course you should always shop around as I really didn't but I wouldn't be shocked if it ends up being cheaper to fly to Pennsylvania just because of the cost of the rental car. As far as what car you should get I'd say the "economy" car. Since you're traveling in the summer and you're going to rack up a ton of miles then the best gas mileage you can get, the better.

 

 

*Is it best to drive in the mornings to a new theme park each day and then have a nearby hotel for overnight, rather than driving each night to the next destination? How does it work with checking into accommodation?

 

This is quite the dilema. Walking around parks in the sun all day can be tiring in and last thing you want is to be driving tired. For this reason if it's practical I would drive in the mornings if you want to book in advance (which I understand as it allows you to shop around and read reviews). Personally though I just like to get on the highway and go. If I'm not tired and I get to the destination I'll find a hotel right off the highway, walk in and get a room within 5 minutes. If I get tired I get off the next exit that lists "Lodging" and has a chain hotel that seems decent on the sign. If you want to research a few options in advance that might be a good idea but I always prefer traveling this way if I'm not sure how far I'll be able to drive.

 

Also, a few general park tips.

 

Dorney Park: Don't waste your money on a skip-the-line pass here. There are never any lines and it usually only helps you on the Log Flume and Wild Mouse. Those lines are both very short too but at least they're beyond the merge point. Oh, and speaking of the log flume make sure you ride it. It's a terrain log flume and it's a good one. Don't miss Demon Drop either.

 

Knoebels: If possible go on a weekday so you can get a wristband. Make sure you ride everything in this park. In addition to the coasters, the Haunted Mansion, Flyers, Scooters, Stratosfear, Downdraft, Satellite, Chairlift, Train and Log Flume are must rides. Again... just ride everything. Eat everything too... especially Ceasari's Pizza (near the Paratrooper) and the Pierogies over by the Scooters. Don't be surprised if this ends up being your favorite park in the U.S.

 

Cedar Point: 2 Days is best for a variety of reasons. First of all they have awful weather policies. Due to their location they frequently have windy days that can close rides like Top Thrill Dragster, Raptor, Gatekeeper, Windseeker, Sky Ride and possibly others so going for 2 days pretty much guarantees you'll be able to ride everything even if weather doesn't cooperate one day. Rain is also a problem here and they've been known to close every single coaster in a light mist (though the rain policy is inconsistent so your mileage may vary). Dragster and Raptor always close in any amount of rain so if the weather is questionable get them out of the way early. Also... if you get a Platinum Pass (which you should) you can get into the park an hour early each day and you'll be able to ride certain rides with almost no line (Including Maverick, Millennium Force, Gatekeeper and Raptor but NOT Top Thrill Dragster so don't go there first).

 

2 Days is also a good idea because it's a great park, and it's huge. If you do get some rain I'd suggest checking out Frontier Trail as it's a nice break from the rest of the park.

 

Dollywood: Eat the Cinnamon Bread by the S&S Screaming Swing. Also get the skip-the-line pass because it's insanely cheap.

 

Kings Dominion: - This is a great Fastlane park because it gets you to the front of the line on almost every single ride. In other parks skip the line programs still involve a minimal wait but here you'll wait a maximum of 5 minutes for everything when you use it (except maybe Volcano). Fastlane Plus is almost always a good idea here just because Volcano and Flight of Fear are really low capacity rides.

 

Six Flags Great Adventure: This can be a 2 day park but it doesn't have to be. Run to Kingda Ka as soon as the park opens because thanks to Zumanjaro it's capacity is horrible. Ride Kingda Ka in the front seat no matter how long you have to wait. Also, El Toro is amazing everywhere but ride it one seat from the back. Also when you get into El Toro's station just push past everyone because the front of the station is always packed and the better seats in the back of the train never have a line because people are idiots and don't realize they can pass the garbage can in the station. I'm not joking...

 

Also, Safari Off Road Adventure is great if you're there for 2 days. It's a long ride but it's a lot of fun and it's a unique experience.

[ejot]

You're going to have an incredibly fun summer!

 

If you're into the historical aspect of coaster enthusiasm, a stop at Lakemont between Hershey and Kennywood for the world's oldest operating coaster might be a must-do. It does require a longer route, and there may be some issues riding if you're alone and the park is dead, which it often is, as I don't believe they are able to send solo riders. I also think you're already on the verge of trying to pack too much in, so if this wasn't already on your radar, may be best to drive straight thru.

 

The only part of the schedule I'd be a little weary of is in the day 13-17 segment. You'll be hitting up some excellent, major, full-day parks with four to five+ hour drives in between each one. I've tried this kind of aggressive schedule a couple times, and personally always take issue with: rushed-ness/deciding between park time and "better get on the road", more stressful/difficult finding reasonable places to eat, getting up reaalllly early (not a morning person), basically just being really exhausted after a few days and not enjoying the experiences as much as possible.

 

In regards to preferences for driving between parks at night or in the morning, I've always tried to break up the longest drives by finding a hotel somewhat in between the two parks, but directly en route. Couple hours on the road at night, couple more in the morning. Of course the biggest determining factor would be personal preference and tolerance for early morning and late night activity.

 

Traffic can get very bad at times and places on the east coast. Particularly I-95 near the Baltimore/Washington DC, and I-84 east of and up to Hartford, Connecticut. And of course NYC. We avoided a 15 MILE traffic jam on I-95 our way to King's Dominion by being eligible for the "HOV lane" (you must have 2 or 3 people in the car to use). Would have missed 2hrs park time if I was alone. Now that Google Maps has real time traffic delay reporting, it may be worth it as the trip approaches to log on at the times you're expecting to drive and see how changed routes and delays factor into things.

 

The exception to what follows is: You must eat at Knoebels (from experience). You must eat cinnamon bread, and probably more, at Dollywood (from reading).

 

We always found that the food budget turns unreasonable on longer trips, quickly, if eating most meals in parks. We prefer to take a big cooler, find a supermarket (grocery/food) the night before, and stock up on prepared sandwiches, potato/pasta salads, drinks, and lots of ice. Then we spend a nice relaxed hour sitting at picnic tables or on a blanket in the parking lot. Delicious, cheap(er), a good break from the commotion of a busy park, and I can enjoy a couple microbrews without double digit pricetags. Time-wise, I prefer a walk back to the car over standing in food lines any day. Many parks have at least picnic tables, some even have nice little shade pavilions with tables near the parking lot. A quick rundown of how convenient I've found picnicking

 

SFNE - couldn't find tables, ate on picnic blanket in parking lot. Also: preferred parking saves a big walk at this park, but is full price, $25, even if you have a Six Flags gold pass, and not good for picnicking. If you park in the non-preferred lot across the street, there is a little strip of grass in the middle that is convenient for sitting to eat.

Dorney - couldn't find tables, ate on a picnic blanket in the parking lot. I *may* have spotted tables on the drive out, but can't remember for sure.

Knoebels - see exception above!! Eat here!!

Hershey - they can be a little hard to find, but there are tables with some shade trees (IIRC) in a nice little area near one of the tram stops.

Cedar Point - not sure, ate in the park due to intermittent showers all day, don't remember seeing tables

King's Dominion - awesome shaded picnic pavilion right smack in the middle of the parking lot

Six Flags America - picnic tables way off to the side at the very edge of the lot. Not well kept, but convenient

Six Flags Great Adventure - there is a nice open picnic grove to the side of the parking on the entrance side, but it's always been packed with a tour group whenever we've tried to use it

 

If you do the Safari at Great Adventure, remember: outside/edge seats if it's a clear day, inside/middle seats if it happens to be raining. Let me repeat that: USE THE INSIDE SEATS IF IT'S RAINING. Shouting here for a reason.

 

Finally, a one-day visit won't do justice to Washington DC, but it will be a GREAT day if you read up on the attractions and choose wisely. The Smithsonian is multi-day-worthy on it's own if you're a museum person.

 

Take lots of pictures and post them!

 

(edits: added forgotten info)

Edited January 12, 2015 by ejot

[Philrad71]

Phil you may be right in that this is a crazy and tiring plan. Do I need to cut it down? If you had to chop anything out what would it be?

It sounds like Holiday World's water park is the only one I really have to venture into. The coasters/main park attractions are my main focus.

 

I think that you may have answered your own question!

 

My suggestion would have been that...to cut out some of the time at the water parks with the exception of the one's that I mentioned. And even though people rip Soak City at Cedar Point, if you are staying multiple days onsite, it is a nice relaxing way to spend a few hours on a hot day. Plus they have a swim-up bar that are rare to find at a lot of water/theme parks!

[larrygator]

In regards to preferences for driving between parks at night or in the morning, the biggest determining factor would be personal preference and tolerance for early morning and late night activity.

 

So true, I used to love driving in the morning, but now my body handles driving at night better

 

We avoided a 15 MILE traffic jam on I-95 our way to King's Dominion by being eligible for the "HOV lane" (you must have 2 or 3 people in the car to use).

 

US-301 is my friend. I never drive through the DC Beltway anymore.

[rcdude]

I've been to most of these parks before and have planned some road trips of my own, so here's a few things to add on to what others are saying.

 

Here's my basic outline of the trip so far, though it may have to be cut down depending on cost - if anyone has any thoughts on the order, places to stay or any other tips, please advise:

 

Day 0 - Fly to New York (which airport do most people fly into from England? Is there even a choice?)

Day 1 - New York, touristy things like ferry past Statue of Liberty, Times Square; riding the Cyclone, Thunderbolt and Wonder Wheel

Day 2 - Six Flags New England

Day 3 - Dorney Park

Day 4 - Knoebels

Day 5 - Hersheypark

Day 6 - Kennywood

Day 7, Day 8, Day 9 - Pinburgh pinball competition @ Replay FX expo, David L Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh

Day 10, Day 11 - Cedar Point (two days is best?)

Day 12 - Kings Island

Day 13 - Holiday World (and water park?)

Day 14 - Dollywood

Day 15 - Six Flags Over Georgia

Day 16 - Carowinds

Day 17 - Busch Gardens Williamsburg (I'd be interested in doing one of their behind the scenes coaster tours if on?)

Day 18 - Kings Dominion

Day 19 - Washington - touristy things like White House

Day 20 - Six Flags America

Day 21, Day 22 - Six Flags Great Adventure (two days is best?)

Day 23 - Back in New York for flight home to England

 

Your itinerary looks ambitions but good. Here are a few notes on things to consider:

 

-If you find a cheaper flight and/or rental car at another airport and it works with your schedule, you may want to consider a different start/end point. However, you'll definitely want to do a loop, as rental car fees are much higher for a one way trip.

-Allow two days for Cedar Point. Hersheypark allows you to enter the evening before your visit, so if you can you should take advantage of that (perhaps leave Knoebels late afternoon and head to Hersheypark). Six Flags Great Adventure is a one day park unless you're visiting on a weekend and aren't purchasing Flash Pass. Dorney Park and Six Flags America are partial day parks, so you'll probably want to do something else on those days as well.

-You may want to consider swapping Dollywood and Six Flags Over Georgia. This would give you a rest day as you make the drive from Holiday World to Six Flags Over Georgia and shorten your total driving time slightly (although that one drive will be a little longer).

-If you need to cut parks from your trip, I would cut them in the following order:

1. Dorney Park: There are better B&Ms at the other parks on the trip and nothing else at Dorney is that notable.

2. Six Flags America: Generally considered one of the worst Six Flags parks and doesn't have anything noteworthy compared to other parks on the trip.

3. Six Flags Over Georgia: I haven't been to this park personally, but I have heard it's one of the best Six Flags parks. That said, it's probably the most out of the way relative to other parks on the itinerary.

4. Holiday World: This is probably one of the best parks you have listed, but unfortunately it's also a bit out of the way and adds more expense than others due to being an independent park.

5. Carowinds: Weakest of the remaining Cedar Fair parks after Dorney is removed, but they are adding Fury 325. Hopefully you won't need to cut this many parks.

6. Dollywood: Once Carowinds goes, Dollywood becomes a bit of a detour. It is a great park, but like Holiday World it adds more expense to the trip than a lot of others.

7. Six Flags New England: Bizarro is one of the best coasters ever built and Wicked Cyclone is likely going to be a great ride, but the rest of the park is fairly average by Six Flags standards. Honestly, if you get to the point that you need to cut this many parks you may want to rethink the entire trip to focus on a smaller region.

 

*Car hire? Has anyone from Europe got tips for hiring in the USA? What size cars are best (drive a small Volkswagen at home)?

 

I'm not from Europe so I can't give you that perspective, but in general the smaller rentals are usually cheaper and get better fuel economy.

 

*Is it best to drive in the mornings to a new theme park each day and then have a nearby hotel for overnight, rather than driving each night to the next destination? How does it work with checking into accommodation?

 

It depends whether you're a morning or night person. For me, if a drive is 3-4 hours or less, I'd just do it after the park and stay within 30 minutes of the next park. If it was longer, I'd drive part of it at night and the rest the next morning. If you are a morning person, you may be the opposite. If you'll be arriving at a hotel really late (like after midnight), you might want to call the hotel and let them know you'll be checking in late. There probably won't be an issue as many hotels staff the reception desk 24/7, but better safe than sorry.

 

*Where to stay? Would you have a different place each night? Or can some of these places have a central hotel 'base' that you could drive out from?

 

For the eastern Pennsylvania parks (Dorney Park, Knoebels, Hersheypark) it's easiest to base camp (on last summer's TPR trip we stayed in Jonestown). If you stay in the Richmond area you can use one hotel for Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Kings Dominion. Kennywood is near Pittsburgh, so you can just stay at the same hotel you'll be using for the Pinball Competition (same with Six Flags America and Washington DC). For the other parks, you'll need a different hotel for each park.

 

*How much would you budget for accommodation each night?

 

If you're okay with basic hotels (2-star, like Motel 6 or Best Western) you can probably find places for $75 per night (or possibly a little less). If you want good hotels (3-star, like Holiday Inn) you're probably looking at $100-150 depending on the area. If you can, try to stay at hotels that include breakfast.

 

*How much would you budget for food each day? I'm not a big eater at all!

 

If you plan to eat two meals in the parks each day, $40. If you plan to eat at only fast food restaurants outside parks, $15-20 ($5-10 if you do one meal only). Most likely you'll wind up somewhere in the middle of this range. These prices assume your hotel includes breakfast. If you decide to go to a sit-down restaurant outside of a park, plan on it costing $20-30. Alternatively, you can go to a grocery store and buy food to take with you during the trip, which would probably be a little cheaper than the fast food option.

 

*Are season passes worth it for the Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks? Can they be bought by non-nationals? Can the be bought while I'm still in England or does it have to be in person?

 

Yes, you'll definitely want some form of Six Flags Pass and a Cedar Fair Platinum Pass for this trip. Not 100% sure on whether international purchases can be done online, but either way you'll need to process them at the first park you visit. Make sure you buy the pass from the park you'll be visiting first or you may run into difficulty with processing.

 

*Water parks? Are any adjoining water parks other than Holiday World's worth visiting if I only have the one day?

 

Other than Holiday World's waterpark, Six Flags New England's is the only other one that I would definitely try to visit. Dorney Park, Kings Island, and Kings Dominion all have large waterparks with fun attractions but nothing particularly unique, so those could go under the time permitting category.

 

*What queue-busting options are there at each park? How much should I budget for them?

 

All Six Flags parks offer Flash Pass in three levels: Regular (you wait the same amount as the regular line), Gold (you wait 25-50% of the regular line), and Platinum (you wait about 10% of the regular line and get to ride twice). Regular is usually around $50, Gold around $75, and Platinum around $100. I recommend getting Gold, as Platinum doesn't offer much additional benefit for the added price and you will annoy everyone in line by taking their seat for a second ride. You probably won't need a Flash Pass at Six Flags America, but definitely budget for it at the other parks (you'll most likely need it for at least Six Flags Great Adventure). There is also a separate waterpark Flash Pass at Six Flags New England (and probably others as well) that costs about $25 regular/$50 gold and works on waterpark attractions (operation is the same as regular Flash Pass).

 

All Cedar Fair parks offer Fast Lane, which allows use of a priority queue for attractions. There are no reservation times, just go to any ride whenever you want and join the Fast Lane queue. Prices vary by day and park, but are usually in the $50-75 range. There is also Fast Lane Plus, which allows access to more attractions for $20 more (worth it if you plan to ride the extra rides several times). You will definitely not need Fast Lane at Dorney Park and will definitely want it for at least one day at Cedar Point. At the other parks, wait until you arrive and decide whether to purchase or not based on crowds.

 

Hersheypark offers Fast Track, which allows immediate boarding one time each on 9 of their coasters. You must board during a designated window and must sit in specific seats. This pass is about $50, and isn't worth purchasing unless the park is extremely busy.

 

Dollywood offers Q2Q, which operates the same way as Flash Pass but is way cheaper (I believe it's $25 or less). I do not remember if they have multiple levels but when I used it the wait times seemed comparable to Gold Flash Pass. In addition, you can reserve seating at shows with this pass. I recommend purchasing this one simply because it is so cheap.

 

Busch Gardens Williamsburg offers Quick Queue. Regular Quick Queue is about $20 and gets you immediate access to each attraction once, while Unlimited Quick Queue gets you unlimited access for twice the price. If you do the coaster tour (recommended) you probably don't need a Quick Queue, but otherwise it would be worth buying if the park is busy.

 

Holiday World does not offer any type of skip the line system, but lines longer than 30 minutes are rare here (with the exception of a few waterslides). Knoebels also doesn't offer anything as it is a smaller park. I'm not sure about Kennywood as I've never been.

 

Hope that helps, and hopefully you'll have an enjoyable trip. Remember, if nothing else just have fun!

[GwaziBSRider1]

Holiday World does not offer any type of skip the line system, but lines longer than 30 minutes are rare here (with the exception of a few waterslides). Knoebels also doesn't offer anything as it is a smaller park. I'm not sure about Kennywood as I've never been.

 

Kennywood offers what's called "VIP Coaster Tour." I've never used it, so I can't give exact details. I think you can use it to jump the line once on each of the coasters. I think you can only buy them inside of the park, but that's not an issue since the kiosk is located very close to the park entrance. Honestly, if you're not there on a weekend, you probably won't need it.

[coasterbill]

We avoided a 15 MILE traffic jam on I-95 our way to King's Dominion by being eligible for the "HOV lane" (you must have 2 or 3 people in the car to use).

 

Thankfully this is no longer as much of an issue if you don't have 3 people in the car. Now the lanes are open to everyone (assuming they're open in your direction of course) but if you don't have 3 people you need to pay to use them and the only accepted method of payment is EZPASS.

 

Make sure your rental car has EZPASS. You'll need it a lot and it will make your life a lot easier.

You need a special EZPASS if you might be using the lanes as HOV lanes called E-ZPass Flex that has a switch that allows you to select how many people are in the car so it's still free for people with 3 people... but there's an annual fee and it's way too complicated for dragon2000's purposes.

 

So in short... when you see the signs for "Restricted Lanes" or "95 Express Lanes" when you're 20 or 30 miles from DC get in those lanes no matter what if they're open or your life will suck. No matter how many people you have traveling with you just pay to use them because getting an EZ PASS Flex with an annual fee is stupid for the small amount of money this will actually cost you. ejot is right though... these lanes are a godsend. Make sure you use them or it can cost you an hour or more.

[dragon2000]

Wow, checking back to the thread after a busy day at work and am really grateful for all the fantastic information you have all given. Thanks!

[bert425]

Pittsburgh "local" chiming in here!

 

Rental cars are cheaper when rented and dropped off in the same location. Most companies charge a fee when dropped off somewhere else; this fee varies by company, locations, etc. Also, some companies have geographical restrictions on places to take the vehicle. They'll charge you so much per mile traveled outside of that area.

 

 

We did our Pennsylvania trip in June of 2014 (hitting Kennywood, HersheyPark, Knoebel's, and Dorney:

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=68306 )

 

and tho we didn't rent and return in the same city, we DID discover it was MUCH cheaper (hundreds of dollars cheaper) to rent in Pittsburgh and return in Philadelphia.

 

so definitely take the time to research rental costs before you decide which city you fly into/rent from.

 

 

as far as the parks in Penn. . we like to do shows as well as rides, so we planned for 1 full day of each followed by an "off" day where we drove and checked into next hotel.

 

regardless of what you do, I hope you have a great time!

[andybarnes84]

Certainly lots of experience and great advice coming up in this thread, after reading through newer comments I'll just point out a few things:

 

1. Things work very differently here in the UK when booking car hire, generally there's often not much of a difference between cities for all inclusive prices when booked here but if booked through a U.S. site directly with the car hire company, prices can be very high. Make sure you either book with a UK travel company such as ebookers or netflights otherwise you'll have lots of additional fees to pay and what seemed like a cheap price certainly won't be when you arrive (my Sister made this mistake recently on a trip to Texas). If the truth about NY state applies to UK bookings, again you'll benefit from flying into Newark Intl rather than JFK as it's in NJ. If going with Alamo, they usually have the EZ-Pass fitted and ready to go, you pay a small fee to use it and then you get billed for the tolls you go through a little while after returning the car and flying home.

 

2. I have to admit I generally preferred the "split the journey up" routine, staying somewhere half way to reduce fatigue. The jet lag and time difference of -5/6 hours will help with those early starts.

 

3. TomTom is your friend, if your mobile is with Three you have data and calls/texts included when you visit the USA which is an amazing benefit, if not then pick up a Three payg sim and make sure you activate it more than 30 days before your trip. I use the USA TomTom app on my phone and do a 1 month subscription to traffic too just before flying out which has been an amazingly useful tool to minimise hassle with these drives. Remember these cities are massive and everyone uses their car over there so you will inevitably meet some epic traffic areas, especially when heading to parks around the morning rush hour, but TomTom will lower the delays drastically. Still my trusted tool for getting through Central London every day. If you can't do this, then buying a TomTom from Walmart, Best Buy or Target when you arrive would probably be ok, can often be cheaper than renting one and can always sell it on when you get back as many people going to Florida would be very interested. You wouldn't have traffic info (unless you forked out a lot) but it has IQ routes which has all the historical traffic info so still your best bet.

 

4. We booked and paid for most of our hotels ahead of the trip but at the very least you could make the free reservations (with free cancellation 1 day before etc) to plot it out and if things get unpredictable, you should be able to improvise and cancel your existing night.

[CoasterCrazy88]

Hello Andrew,

 

It is wonderful to see that you are planning this trip. It is going to be an amazing time, I am sure! I have taken two coaster trips to this region, and I think your itinerary is excellent. I have scanned over the responses, but I have not read everything in detail so I hope I do not say things that others have already covered.

 

I agree with AndyBarnes84, who stated that flying into Newark, NJ instead of JFK, NY would be a good idea. I dislike both airports, especially compared to ones in Asia, but Newark provides you with the opportunity to possibly hire a car for a cheaper rate.

 

I must say that there are two things not listed in your plans that I wish you could experience while in the Northeast U.S.A. The first is certainly not going to fit into your schedule: L'International Des Feux Loto-Quebec, an international fireworks competition (it comes with 10 coaster credits too, since admission to the nighttime competition includes 10:00 am to 10:00 pm admission to Le Ronde!). Last time I was in New York, I made the drive into Quebec for this, and it is something I would recommend to everyone. The fireworks were UNREAL, and getting several free rides on Goliath were wonderful. Nevertheless, I understand that there's no way you could really pull that off, considering your time constraints... Which brings me to my second suggestion: Lake Compounce. You could possibly make this work, especially considering the fact that it is only 40 miles from Six Flags New England. Boulderdash is absolutely incredible; I even prefer it to El Toro by a very slight margin. If there is any way you could fit that park in, I can almost guarantee you won't regret it.

 

Personally, I think that two days at Cedar Point are definitely a good idea, but a single day at Six Flags Great Adventure should be fine, especially if you are willing to purchase a Qbot. When I took my mom and brother last summer, we were able to get all the credits, plus ride Nitro five times, El Toro six times, and Zumanjaro once.

 

While I agree with what people have said about the water parks, I feel that Dorney's Wildwater Kingdom is worth checking out. The white Patriot's Plunge slide and teal Snake Pit slide provide some of the most intense airtime I've ever experienced on a raft/tube attraction. The capsule drop slides are nice too, as their layouts are particularly unique. If you have time, do Six Flags New England's water park as well. There are a few great slides there too. I'll also add that Hershey's water park is certainly not worth visiting, especially with the stellar collection of Intamin coasters just outside (Skyrush, Storm Runner, and Fahrenheit).

 

In regards to driving, I always prefer to stay near the park I visited during a given day, and then drive to the new destination in the morning. Many of the parks you are visiting are not particularly far from one another, so I think that would be a safe bet. Hotels in the region shouldn't run you more than $130 U.S per night, for someplace quite nice!

 

One last thing that's on my mind at the moment: Hershey Park is home to the best sandwich I've eaten in my life...Anywhere. The Smokehouse Grill is not listed on Hersheypark's website, as it is an independently operated establishment. Located just adjacent to Trailblazer, this place has pulled pork sandwiches that are ridiculously good. My family and I decided to eat there after speaking with two locals in line for Storm Runner. They said that we wouldn't be able to find a better lunch than at Smokehouse Grill, and I definitely agree wholeheartedly!

 

If you have any questions about hotels or anything, please PM me. I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

All the best,

Antonio