Jodon Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Howdy TPR, I'm in the intermediate planning stages of a 10 day road trip through Pennsylvania with a stop at Cedar Point and Six Flags Great Adventure at the end of July. Here is a tentative itinerary: Day 1: Drive to Michigan from outside Chicago (possibly stop by Michigan's Adventure for a few Shivering Timbers rides/credit run) Day 2: Cedar Point with Fast Lane+ Day 3: Start day @ CP, leave around noon and drive to Hershey, partake in Hersheypark's extra admission the 2.5 hours the night before Day 4: Full day at Hersheypark Day 5: Full day at Six Flags Great Adventure w/ Flash Pass (Gold or Platinum) Day 6: Full-ish day at Dorney w/ Fast Lane Day 7: Full day at Knoebels Day 8: Drive to Pittsburgh with a stop at Lakemont for Leap the Dips Day 9: Full day at Kennywood Day 10: Drive back to Chicago with possible stop at CP for a few rides This is my first trip of this magnitude and I have a few questions that I'm hoping some of you can answer: 1. I will likely be taking this trip by myself so do any of these parks have single rider lines? 2. Is Hersheypark's Fast Track worth it? What is the cost of it? Are all of their major coasters included, i.e. Skyrush and the rest of their Intamin's? 3.I'm planning on getting a Flash Pass at SFGAdv, but not sure which one. Are all of the rides available on the Gold FP? Does the Platinum FP include double rides on every ride in the park? Do any of the rides have reservation limits on either the Gold or Platinum? I only ask as my home park SFGAm has weird stipulations with Goliath only being on Platinum w/ 2 reservations and no double rides for Platinum FP's on Goliath or V2. 4. If I'm going on a weekday to Knoebels, should I get the all day wristband or should I purchase tickets? 5. I currently do not have a Cedar Fair season pass, but I'm contemplating it at this point. It would be about $80 more expensive to purchase the Platinum Pass. If I do not get the Platinum Pass, I would likely not stop at Michigan's Adventure or the extra stops at CP. If I were to get the Platinum Pass, does Dorney have early entry like CP? I doubt I'll use the Cedar Fair pass after this trip as I don't have a really close CF park to me. Does the extra time at Cedar Point, early entry at CP/Dorney, and possible Michigan's Adventure stop make the $80 worthwhile? 6. I've heard that Dorney can be pretty dead, is Fast Lane worth it at Dorney at the end of July (likely a weekday)? 7. Is there anything I should do with my free evening in Pittsburgh? 8. How does Kennywood's VIP coaster pass work? Is it worth it? 9. Are there any parks that I'm missing that I need to visit, or parks that I'm devoting too much time for? Does my route make sense? 10. Any other recommendations/advice that I'm not thinking of right now? I'd be happy for any lodging suggestions you might have! I'd also appreciate any favorite food destinations either at the parks or around the areas! Thanks in advance for your assistance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Let's see if I can fill in some blanks for you. In regards to your itinerary - Sandusky to Hershey is around six hours. Considering that you're going to get Fast Lane Plus, I'm not sure that you'll need that extra time at Cedar Point. Get the extra sleep in the morning before your drive, so you can enjoy your time at Hersheypark that night. Then, only spend a portion of the next day at Hersheypark so you can drive to Jackson at a reasonable hour, and have the full day at Six Flags Great Adventure with no trouble. Stay overnight at Jackson, drive to Allentown, spend some time at Dorney Park, then drive to Elysburg. You will NOT need Fast Lane, at least from my experience. Now, your questions. #2 - I don't think that Fast Track is worth it. You only get one ride per coaster, and not all of the coasters are included. I don't remember which ones aren't on the pass, but I'm pretty sure the Intamins are okay. #4 - Whether or not you get the wristband depends on your riding habits. One go on all six of the coasters will run you $16 using tickets. You'll likely have ample opportunity for re-rides, and you'll want to ride Phoenix twice (once near the front, once in the back row). Plus, you've got a lot of great flat rides, including [what is apparently] one of the best drop towers in the US. The pay-one price plans have gotten somewhat expensive over the past few years, so I don't usually get them unless it's a discount day like during Phunfest. Also, you get $2 off for every $20 book of tickets, so there's that. #6 - Nope. Next. #9 - There's a small park called IdleWild near Pittsburgh. It's along US-30. It has a classic terrain-ish wooden coaster and the only wild mouse ever built by Vekoma. It might be worth checking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiFan Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 For Great Adventure all rides are available on all levels of Flashpass (last year Zumanjaro was on gold and platinum only). The only rides that don't allow double rides are El Diablo and I think possibly Zumanjaro. There are no reservation limits. Dorney has early entry but it isn't more than a ride or two. I know the wavepool has early access but not sure if this year any coasters are open early. Fast Lane is not needed at Dorney unless you were planning to go to the water park where there are lines but even then only 7 slides and the 2 lazy rivers are on Fast Lane Plus. Kennywood's VIP has you select a row for the coasters and a time window to come back for each coaster that is spread throughout the day usually around an hour between each coaster. They give you a landyard that has the coaster name and then get it gets punched out on the lanyard when you ride that coaster. It is reasonably priced at around $15 or $20. I was planning to buy it but when I was there all rides were walk ons except Phantom's Revenge so I don't remember the exact price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejot Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 2. Here is the scoop on Hershey's Fast Track Pass program. It is an odd duck. Not ideal, but can serve its purpose, depending on your personal preferences and sensitivities. There are two option, day pass and evening pass. Day gets you nine coasters, evening gets you five. You get one ride on each of those 9/5. You're allotted something like 45m-1h time slots at specific times, to rides each coaster, in a particular order. You walk up the exit of the ride, present your fast track ticket, and an op punches out that coaster on the card and you board. They rope off rows in the standard queue, always in the middle of the train, to reserve for the fast track riders. You may only use those (generally less desirable) rows. They will be true walk on rides but there's often tension with confused/angered GP. If you've ever heard of a "wine flight" or "beer flight" at a decent restaurant, it's kind of like that, only it's a "coaster flight". Coasters included can vary based on what's running, but everything runs pretty much all the time, and pretty well, at Hershey. The standard fare for the full day is: Comet, Skyrush, SDL, Great Bear, Storm Runner, Sidewinder, Fahrenheit, Wildcat, Lightning Racer. You get to choose from two standard options of groups of five for the evening pass. I can't find my evening card from last year but I recall Storm Runner, Skyrush, SDL, and Comet were in my group of five. Day pass is $35, evening is something like $20 or 25. On light to moderate crowd days, I would recommend staying away from the passes as they dictate your entire day or evening schedule and basically take away your freedom to meander and soak it in. Only on totally slammed days, the pass is awesome for the price. My suggestion would be, make the best use of early morning hours with normal riding, then if crowds are huge in the evening do the pass. That way, again, you can see the park on your own schedule for part of the day, and make a later, more informed decision whether to get the FTP. ____________________________________ DelGrossos is 15min down the road from Lakemont. Free parking and individual ride tickets sold. They have my favorite drop tower, and I have been on LL, Jaro, KD's, and Knoebels's (which is similar but just not as perfect and smooth). Worth an ultra quick stop if for nothing but that and a good plate of a food. While I haven't tried working out the details, I'd sooner try for a slight rearrangement of days 4-7 before cutting a day short at Hershey, even with a preview night previous. I always have such a good time there, would not want to leave early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodon Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 Thanks for your replies so far! CP, Hershey, SFGAdv, and Knoebels are the parks I'm most excited about visiting, so I'm definitely planning on spending full days at those parks. That's a bummer about the Fast Track at Hershey. Seems like a wasted opportunity on their end. I will likely purchase it anyway to help with the credit run and allow time for as many re-rides as possible. If I desire, can I purchase multiple Fast Tracks? Do any of the parks have a waterpark worth visiting? I like water parks, but I've been to Splashin' Safari at Holiday World and Hurricane Harbor at SFGAm recently, so I don't feel the need to go to the water parks unless there is something worth riding. Now I'm thinking of making day 8 include quick stops at DelGrosso's, Lakemont, and Idlewild on my way to Pittsburgh. Is that too much for one day? How much time should I spend in each park? I know that DelGrosso's is known for their sauce, but do any of the other parks have anything that I must do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Going to DelGrosso's makes a ton of sense. You're literally going to drive right by it and it's so close you can see it from the highway. An hour there and an hour at Lakemont is plenty. You probably won't even need a full hour at either park (especially Lakemont, what a dump). I don't think Del Grossos or Lakemont have anything essential besides the coasters but Del Grossos has a screwed up looking paratrooper like thing with a restraint that doesn't lock or really serve any purpose at all so that's unique I guess. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_Coaster Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 When at Great Adv, I highly agree that purchasing a flash pass is worth the money, but not the platinum. While it may cut your wait down less and let's you ride twice on some rides, a gold is just fine. It still cuts your wait by 50 percent! Also, when we went to Great Adventure, the line for El Diablo (The ride limited to Platinum only) was never long. You could wait one circuit and be on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VegasBaby Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I wouldn't worry about Fast Track at Hershey, especially if you're going to do the preview night option. I was at the park last week and on a Monday night I was able to ride Skyrush 4x, Storm Runner 3x, and Fahrenheit 4x in an hour and twenty minutes. The park was completely dead at night and all of those coasters were walk-ons. I was even able to re-ride a few times without having to get off. We spent 3 days at the park (Tues-Thurs) and the only rides that had consistent wait times were Laff Trakk (30-45 min, but we hit it first thing and only waited like 5 min) and Fahrenheit (15-20 min), pretty much every other coaster was a walk on or 1-2 train wait. If you do the preview night followed by an entire day at the park, you should be able to get multiple rides on all the big coasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Finn Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Just a few quick insights. Lakemont has Leap The Dips, Skyliner (below average woodie) and a Toboggan, as well as a kiddie coaster you might be able to get on. The coasters and the Skydiver are about it. Hour or so tops, really. Delgrossos, as mentioned is worth it for the Drop Tower, food, and two credits (Wild Mouse and Wacky Worm). Idlewild you can get an evening pass discounted if that's what your timetable ends up as. The two coasters, the caterpillar (if it's open), Confusion Hill, and maybe the train are all worth doing. They have a lot of old flats, too! As for your night in Pittsburgh, there's always the incline up to Mount Washington. A cheap and unique way to see the city. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodon Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'm now thinking about taking a day off from roller coasters (depending on the weather) and spending a day in Philly between Hersheypark and SFGAdv. Does anyone have any good recommendations for things to do and places to eat in/near Philly likely on a Sunday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Eat a cheesesteak for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try three different places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastinmiller Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'm now thinking about taking a day off from roller coasters (depending on the weather) and spending a day in Philly between Hersheypark and SFGAdv. Does anyone have any good recommendations for things to do and places to eat in/near Philly likely on a Sunday? As far as places to eat, you might want to give Paesano's a try. Some truly awesome sandwiches. http://www.paesanosphillystyle.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'm now thinking about taking a day off from roller coasters (depending on the weather) and spending a day in Philly between Hersheypark and SFGAdv. Does anyone have any good recommendations for things to do and places to eat in/near Philly likely on a Sunday? Really it depends on where in Philly you will be, its a pretty big city. Let's get the cheesesteak talk out of the way. If you are dying to eat a Philly cheesesteak do yourself a favor and avoid Pat's/Genos at all costs. Yes they are famous, yes its a tourist trap, no they are not good. Take it from me, I've lived here for 37 years and have probably eaten thousands of cheesesteaks. Tony Luke's has the best real deal Philly cheesesteak in the city (but the original location is in deep South Philly and waaaaay off the beaten path and they have shitty hours, closing whenever they feel like), and many of the corner pizza joints have better steaks than the slop they'll serve you at Pat's and Genos. If you MUST go there, Genos, Genos, Genos. Pat's has its fans but imo it is completely inedible. I only really enjoy the cheese fries @ Genos but if I'm drunk enough I'll get a steak. If you are staying right in center city there are tons of restaurants/bars but nothing that stands out as a unique place (at least not to me). El Vez is great but pricey. Same for Jones. Ditto on Morimoto and Village Whiskey. For stuff to do there is the Mutter Museum which is weird/fun. The Franklin Institute is really cool. If you are into art we have one of the best museums on the planet (you can run up the steps and be a big tough guy like Rocky! Yay!). And of course all the historical/independence crap in Old City - Liberty Bell, Constitution Center, etc. As a lifer that stuff is all a bit boring to me. I would avoid of all that and venture into one of the "cooler" neighborhoods like Northern Liberties, Fishtown or Passyunk Square. Fishtown has Barcade which is a bar serving "upscale" bar food and craft beer, and is packed with old school restored video games at $.25 each. There is also North Bowl which is a bowling alley with good food and beer (and pool and air hockey tables etc). Nearby is the Piazza which has festivals, outdoor concerts, and a massive TV screen where they show movies or sporting events. Theres a few bars and restaurants there that are at least somewhat decent. There are lots of other great places to eat in the Fishtown/Nolibs area - Johnny Brendas and Standard Tap are two personal favorites. Both gastropubs serving local beers and bar food made with local seasonal ingredients. Everything both places have is phenomenal. Jerry's is another that is super good. Get the Jerry's Burger, its a short rib patty that melts in your mouth and maybe my favorite thing in the entire city to eat. Dos Segundos (mexican), El Camino Real (tex mex) are delicious. Dmitri's (Greek) is incredible! Go there hungry. Another cool thing most people don't know to check out is the Magic Gardens, which is the indoor/outdoor space completely covered top to bottom in mosaic and random crap. It's super cool/different and one of my fave places to take out of towners. Its on South Street which is also a tourist trap but I guess outside of the city its well known (but dont go there on weekend nights, it gets super crowded with some undesirable types). Franklin Square I guess is the closest thing we have to an amusement park in the city, as they have mini-golf and a carousel. Its a really cool place to stop and relax, lay in the grass, you can get food there (food trucks and a burger hut). Expect lots of kids and families. Race Street Pier is cool to just relax and check out the river. Same for Spruce Street Harbor Park, only its not quiet and they have food/beer there. Other than that I'm drawing a blank. Philly is a great city and I love living here, there is tons of stuff to do all the time. If I think of anything else Ill post up. Oh and co-sign on ^ Paesanos, good shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaellynn4 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 ^ This is a great guide for Philly, says a lot of what I'd probably say. The only thing that I'd add is that I personally really don't like Tony Luke's - I think the quality has dropped since he started focusing on opening up satellite store after satellite store. Personally, my go to place is Jim's Steaks on South Street, just a block away from the TLA. Boldikus is dead on about Pat's/Geno's, though, stay away unless you enjoy tourist traps (though with a gun to my head I'd choose Pat's - I personally can't stand Geno's politics). There are PLENTY of places in the city to get a good cheesesteak. Make sure to wash them down with a pretzel chaser and Tastykakes for dessert. Larry's right tho - eat as many from as many different places as possible. Just realized - if you're planning on driving around the city, be prepared to pay a TON for parking. I'd say it's in your best interest to park at a centralized "home base" area and use the subway / your feet to get around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Yes if you are in center city it is highly advisable that you park in one lot for the full day. Its going to be way cheaper than at a meter and you can use the El & subway to get around. The El (Market Frankford or Blue line) runs right through the heart of the city east-west and the subway (Broad St line aka Orange line) runs north to south. I take them each twice a day and avoid buses like the plague. You can basically get anywhere you need to go by those to trains, cabs, and walking. It's super easy to get around in CC (and west/north/south) because the streets are numbered so if you can count you can navigate. And @michaellynn just so you know re: Genos' - I don't know if that "Must order in English" sign is still up but Joe (the old racist owner) died a few years ago and the place is run/owned by his young/progressive/openly gay son who is actually named Geno (after the store, not vice versa lol). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 you should mention "El Vez" is in the Gayborhood. . .recently in the news for the rainbow crosswalks. when we were there last year, we just happened upon that place while looking for someplace near the hotel to eat. the waiter was dumb as a box of rocks (he actually said to us: "the name is a play on Elvis. . get it?")..but he was cute, so all was OK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 ^ LOL. Yes, El Vez and a bunch of other great spots are in the Gayborhood, which is basically all of 12th street and some of 13th Street from Market to Lombard. And yeah new rainbow crosswalks to go with the rainbow street signs. Ha! Another great area right nearby is on the other side of Broad St around 17th/18th/19th between Chestnut and Spruce is Rittenhouse which has a great park which gets very lively on a nice day, and a ton of high end shopping/food/bars on the streets around it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Lots of other people chimed in, but I'll offer what I can. Howdy TPR, I'm in the intermediate planning stages of a 10 day road trip through Pennsylvania with a stop at Cedar Point and Six Flags Great Adventure at the end of July. Here is a tentative itinerary: Day 1: Drive to Michigan from outside Chicago (possibly stop by Michigan's Adventure for a few Shivering Timbers rides/credit run) Are you thinking about leaving early enough to make park opening? Just wondering. I have a couple ideas in the area for stuff no one here has heard of. (No diss for the rest of you. I'm me, you're you.) Day 6: Full-ish day at Dorney w/ Fast Lane I don't know if this is required. Most of the time at Dorney I see crowds in the water park and minimal lines in the dry park. Capacity there is actually solid. I'd rotate doing the small capacity stuff first, then Steel Force and the B&Ms last. Day 8: Drive to Pittsburgh with a stop at Lakemont for Leap the Dips There's people who've been on Skyliner and then there's people who've been on Skyliner in the front car. Don't make the mistake of riding somewhere that isn't the front seat. Leap The Dips is completely mental. I rode it in 1999 and it did nothing. I rode it last year and it was among the wildest coasters I've ever been on. I heard it sent an ACE member to the hospital a couple weeks before. There's some rare flat rides there too like a Chance Skydiver and Twister I'd suggest. If there are other people there, I would be astonished. Delgrossos is a nice park and I'd suggest the train, drop ride, and Quasar (it looks like an Enterprise but isn't) there to do. 4. If I'm going on a weekday to Knoebels, should I get the all day wristband or should I purchase tickets? I'd get a wristband. I'm sure you can make it worth your money. 5. I currently do not have a Cedar Fair season pass, but I'm contemplating it at this point. It would be about $80 more expensive to purchase the Platinum Pass. If I do not get the Platinum Pass, I would likely not stop at Michigan's Adventure or the extra stops at CP. If I were to get the Platinum Pass, does Dorney have early entry like CP? I doubt I'll use the Cedar Fair pass after this trip as I don't have a really close CF park to me. Does the extra time at Cedar Point, early entry at CP/Dorney, and possible Michigan's Adventure stop make the $80 worthwhile? Tough for me to say. Is your cost analysis including the parking, BTW? 8. How does Kennywood's VIP coaster pass work? Is it worth it? "Is it worth it?" is the tough question. I have used it on an extremely busy Saturday in peak season. Without it, I'd have been doomed, so it worked great. If it hasn't changed recently, you have choices - you can get a lanyard with a list of attractions in order based on when you want to do them (like an evening tour starting at 3PM) and you then go up the exit, have the pass punched with a hole punch, and then ride in a row chosen with the pass. But wait, there's more! You see, not only is there that, but you can buy individual ride skipping passes for individual rides. I ended up getting a lanyard for all the coasters plus extra passes for Phantom's Revenge, Thunderbolt, and Skyrocket to ensure that I would get on those twice. Was it expensive? Yes. Did I get on rides? Hell yeah I did. But I also was at the park when the gates opened and chose my queue to wait out in front of to open to be the VIP Coaster Pass booth. I was first in line. They also can run out. In their case, it isn't a virtual inventory that disappears but a real inventory of plastic cards. 9. Are there any parks that I'm missing that I need to visit, or parks that I'm devoting too much time for? Does my route make sense? Someone mentioned adding in Idlewild. You could do that, but you might be giving it short shrift to do 4 parks in a day in that manner. 10. Any other recommendations/advice that I'm not thinking of right now? Only depending on whether or not you do Michigan's Adventure, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodon Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 Thanks for the replies so far. Special thanks to Boldikus for taking the time to write that awesome post (with hyperlinks) on Philly!!! I feel that should be permanently available on the site some where. I will definitely try a Philly Cheesesteak from somewhere. How do I need to order it to get the true Philly experience. I was also told to get the pork sandwich from DiNicos at the Reading Terminal Market...is that worthwhile, or a tourist trap as well? Ideally, I'd like to walk as little as possible when I'm in Philly as this will be my "day off" from parks and would like to rest as much as possible, but I like the idea of parking once and taking public transportation from there. As of right now, I think I'll be staying near King of Prussia. Is there any public transportation that goes out that far? Are you thinking about leaving early enough to make park opening? Just wondering. I have a couple ideas in the area for stuff no one here has heard of. (No diss for the rest of you. I'm me, you're you.) I might make it for the parks opening, but not sure. I have to drop off a friend at Midway around 7 am and will leave straight from there. What do you have to recommend? I'm not sure how long I want to spend there as I'll still need to drive to Ann Arbor that night. Day 6: Full-ish day at Dorney w/ Fast Lane I don't know if this is required. Most of the time at Dorney I see crowds in the water park and minimal lines in the dry park. Capacity there is actually solid. I'd rotate doing the small capacity stuff first, then Steel Force and the B&Ms last. I doubt I will purchase a FL prior to getting to the park, but I will budget for one just in case. 5. I currently do not have a Cedar Fair season pass, but I'm contemplating it at this point. It would be about $80 more expensive to purchase the Platinum Pass. If I do not get the Platinum Pass, I would likely not stop at Michigan's Adventure or the extra stops at CP. If I were to get the Platinum Pass, does Dorney have early entry like CP? I doubt I'll use the Cedar Fair pass after this trip as I don't have a really close CF park to me. Does the extra time at Cedar Point, early entry at CP/Dorney, and possible Michigan's Adventure stop make the $80 worthwhile? Tough for me to say. Is your cost analysis including the parking, BTW? I was including parking in my cost analysis, but not admission/parking for Michigan's Adventure. I'm pretty much set on getting the CF Platinum Pass. That way I'll go to Michigan's Adventure, and possibly take advantage of the early entry to CP before my drive out to Hersheypark on the 3rd day. 9. Are there any parks that I'm missing that I need to visit, or parks that I'm devoting too much time for? Does my route make sense? Someone mentioned adding in Idlewild. You could do that, but you might be giving it short shrift to do 4 parks in a day in that manner. I'm planning on just doing DelGrosso's, Lakemont, and Idlewild on the one day, then spend a full day at Kennywood the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I doubt I will purchase a FL prior to getting to the park, but I will budget for one just in case. Don't even budget for one. Buy yourself something nice with that money, lol. Unless you're going to the waterpark or planning on riding the Screaming Swing 800 times Fastlane will always be a waste of money at Dorney. I was including parking in my cost analysis, but not admission/parking for Michigan's Adventure. I'm pretty much set on getting the CF Platinum Pass. That way I'll go to Michigan's Adventure, and possibly take advantage of the early entry to CP before my drive out to Hersheypark on the 3rd day. Good call, Early Entry at Cedar Point is amazing. Even with Fastlane the Early Entry lines will be the shortest lines you'll encounter all day. DON'T MISS OUT ON EARLY ENTRY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I might make it for the parks opening, but not sure. I have to drop off a friend at Midway around 7 am and will leave straight from there. What do you have to recommend? I'm not sure how long I want to spend there as I'll still need to drive to Ann Arbor that night. If you go on a weekend, I'd suggest a quick stop at this: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eden-Springs-Park-at-House-of-David/336371469616 To make a long story short; this was an early amusement park, mostly driven by shows and baseball for attendance, operated by a religious commune. Today, we'd probably call them a doomsday cult, but these were simpler times. Work is going on the train trellises (there's a 1/4 mile loop trains run between 12-5 on Sat/Sun) and they generally let you explore the grounds of the park, much of which was abandoned in the 1970s and left to rot. Also just a couple blocks away is a great Mexican restaurant called La Perla. Total hole in the wall, serves the migrant populations that pick fruit in the area. If that's out of the way, you'll be REALLY close to the only summer luge track in the US: http://www.msports.org/summer. Not terribly long, but totally rad. I'm planning on just doing DelGrosso's, Lakemont, and Idlewild on the one day, then spend a full day at Kennywood the next day. That's not a bad idea. Plus Idlewild closes earlier, so it isn't as stressful getting to the hotel and Kennywood the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickLikesCoasters Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 King of Prussia has a Septa station in Gulph Mills (I use it all the time) on the Norristown Speed Lins that takes you to 69th and Market Streets in Philly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jodon Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Thanks for the ideas DirkFunk! I'm not going to be going on a weekend, but the summer luge looks really interesting. I may be foolish, but I think I'm going to add a couple parks on my drive home. I think it will only add a couple hours of drive time to hit up Conneaut Lake before it officially gives up the ghost and then Waldameer for a credit run and a few laps on Ravine Flyer II. One more area that I could use some assistance from everyone. I'm decently experienced with Cedar Point but could use some help with the other parks. What are your go to/magic seats on your favorite rides at these parks? Particularly Skyrush, El Toro, Phantom's Revenge, and Phoenix to name a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 my favorite seat on El Toro is one row from the back (so the middle of the back car), normally with any 3 bench PTC coaster like Phoenix I would say to sit in the middle of any car and avoid wheel seats but this doesn't apply to Phoenix. It's incredible in every single seat on the train. Personally I like the front seat of the back car but every seat is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Thanks for the replies so far. Special thanks to Boldikus for taking the time to write that awesome post (with hyperlinks) on Philly!!! I feel that should be permanently available on the site some where. I will definitely try a Philly Cheesesteak from somewhere. How do I need to order it to get the true Philly experience. I was also told to get the pork sandwich from DiNicos at the Reading Terminal Market...is that worthwhile, or a tourist trap as well? No Reading Terminal is awesome. It can definitely be touristy but you should go check it out. It gets totally crazy busy on weekends but thats kind of part of the charm of the place. A sort of organized chaos. Go into it expecting it to be packed so you are not overwhelmed. But yeah tons of great food there. Also for ordering a cheesesteak order it how you want it. I prefer provolone and fried onions but sometimes crave wiz. The proper way to order at most places is "wiz wit", "provolone witout" etc. Basically you are ordering the type of cheese and then the wit/witout is whether or not you want fried onions. Ideally, I'd like to walk as little as possible when I'm in Philly as this will be my "day off" from parks and would like to rest as much as possible, but I like the idea of parking once and taking public transportation from there. As of right now, I think I'll be staying near King of Prussia. Is there any public transportation that goes out that far? I'm not sure of what goes all the way out to King of Prussia but check http://www.septa.org/ for any and all info about area public transit. The trip planning function on there can be pretty clutch. You are probably looking at taking multiple buses/trains/etc to get into and back out of the city. King of Prussia I know is maybe a 45/1 hour drive to center city, and that will likely be longer on public transit. My suggestion would be to drive into center city, park in an all day parking garage and take the EL/subway and cabs to get around the city. Also for magic seats or whatever, here's a few of my recommendations. El Toro - 2nd to last row (middle of last car). Ludicrous airtime and hardly ever a wait for this row. Skyrush - Back left wing seat. Most insane coaster ride I've ever taken. Nitro - Back row all the way to get yanked down the drops. Kingda Ka - Front or near the front of the train, avoid the back at all costs Skull Mountain - Back row for insane airtime on the first drop Phantoms Revenge - Back of train to get ripped down the drops, front of train for insane airtime on the bunnyhops Sky Rocket - Back for airtime on the drops Talon, Thunderhawk & Steel Force - front seat rides all the way I like airtime and prefer back seat rides mostly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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