Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

TR: Two Guys, a ‘gull, and a Peninsula of Pleasure


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 202
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

SkyHawk scared me enough, to make me feel like I needed to poop....IMMEDIATELY.

 

 

But - I loved it of course!

Skyhawk_swinging.jpg.b560265940d9445f76ae980f3a2c3feb.jpg

Not my photo (from Wikipedia) but...yep. Loved it. Scared me silly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked Skyhawk. .but once was enough.

 

There were several things that were 1 and done, (mainly the spinning stuff like Monster, Matterhorn, Tiki Twirl, Witches Wheel. ..guess I'm getting too old for that kind of thing), but I actually meant to re-ride Skyhawk on Monday and just never got back around to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Liz reminded me of something funny that I forgot to put into the Coastermania! day. . . so mentioning it, since it had us all laughing.

 

after riding Skyhawk, we stopped for a potty break in what Liz calls the "sketchy bathrooms". . that are over in the building that a long time ago used to be the skyride station for the back of the park.

 

they really are pretty sketchy. . they feel kind of like a "rest stop" on a highway that hadn't been maintained in many years.. . or a bathhouse on a beach that never gets a lot of love. - and I say that because the weirdly open entrance to the restrooms has about a 1/2 dozen "changing" rooms, before you turn the corner into the "real" toilets -- I dunno. . maybe this is over by where the entrance to the old Shoot the Rapids ride was? (the Shoot the Chutes ride is still over there. . so maybe this option was for folks to change into swimsuits before getting wet???).

 

anyways, I go in, and there's this youngish guy who comes in after me, and he's got a swaggar and he's trying to be real cool. . and I notice him since he steps up to the urinal two down on my right -- but I'm ignoring him, since after all, this is a toilet (one comes in here for a reason).

 

and I see him, out of the corner of my eye, lean forward, and spit into the urinal while he's peeing.

 

followed almost immediately by "damn. . . . "

 

yep, he spit "on himself". . .it was so funny, and I was trying so hard not to laugh. . . .but I finished up as quickly as I could, washed my hands, and rushed out to tell Bill, Liz, and Dianne. And like I said, we all laughed, and laughed and laughed.

 

 

 

now that I shared that little tidbit. . here are some pics that Liz also sent me from her and her Mom's visit, these are from the day before we met up, and she got a great sunrise that I was told that I could share in my report.

 

all pics from Liz (TBpony. . which stands for Thoroughbred Pony, not Tuberculosis Pony, as she explained to me )

IMG_5301.thumb.JPG.7c5aca02165fbd3e19827a90ed381e81.JPG

IMG_5369.thumb.JPG.44bc7acd95a1ae30478be4318438db86.JPG

IMG_5370.thumb.JPG.9adfe1f31f415933578abd1d1885bb4c.JPG

IMG_5382.thumb.JPG.689f1fe866f1cf4e63f48736ef828020.JPG

IMG_5382a.thumb.JPG.789229ee49d853df5005804d54a8a143.JPG

IMG_5388a.thumb.jpg.04783dd66adf4f0abbc0542a94f7e52f.jpg

IMG_5410.thumb.JPG.a8710b14972f1d0b5e34e77104b1bb57.JPG

IMG_5416.thumb.JPG.4c6daced57bf82657a56b20ed8eefaa0.JPG

IMG_5418.thumb.JPG.7fe8ac8f7119728036cb6b6605eaab24.JPG

IMG_5428.thumb.JPG.76979b6bbbacce6c8e6f99be6570b7d3.JPG

IMG_5429.thumb.JPG.f66f1f389f22f3db74a065e13230cb17.JPG

IMG_5430.thumb.JPG.202f6f737c3609e8a699696e49bdf00d.JPG

IMG_8754.thumb.JPG.2e0467eab05803c82eb82e07fa559510.JPG

IMG_8866.thumb.JPG.3d3890cadd6e34cfdd9574a160ce5c64.JPG

IMG_8880.thumb.JPG.949eb20a229e14daab41376c2949fa19.JPG

IMG_8886.thumb.JPG.3fdab8df5894410799a1e75982e327dd.JPG

IMG_8889.thumb.JPG.30226c0ae2e17d6182884c0fb866fa61.JPG

IMG_8941.thumb.JPG.a892168fc4112205fe3b51316d77fd9d.JPG

IMG_8977.thumb.JPG.371945633ec410a4eb6f74bd980d6c36.JPG

IMG_8979.thumb.JPG.3f747e99cb966c75dacf5634c047c5cb.JPG

IMG_9008.thumb.JPG.58d170fc66c32edbb71debbb9a516f2c.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that Gatekeeper pic (from the Ferris Wheel) looks like a postcard, doesn't it?

 

yeah, the park really was this quiet in spots on Coastermania! day !

IMG_5410.thumb.JPG.979624d221b11281cc91f5222cb765b2.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know someone that puts his HITP spiked apple cider mugs in random bushes at parks to avoid buying a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo. Lucky for him at Great Adventure the employees don't care about trash (that's for the security (crossing) guards to worry about), and he's retrieved his hidden mug each time after riding. I won't name names

 

This has always been my policy at Six Flags. Sh*t you kind of want but don't really care if you lose goes in a bush. Wallet, keys, phone... that goes in a locker on El Toro and Kingda Ka but plastic cups, printed ride photos (when they used to force you to buy one even if you just wanted the digital version) and stupid crap like that goes in an free eco friendly plant lo.cker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't worry about this, no need to explain yourself. I know someone that puts his HITP spiked apple cider mugs in random bushes at parks to avoid buying a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo.

 

Plastic cups, printed ride photos and stupid crap like that goes in a free eco friendly plant ocker-lay

 

Thanks for that Boldikus. Bill I'm glad I'm not the only one on here who admittedly uses the eco friendly plant ocker-lays!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't worry about this, no need to explain yourself. I know someone that puts his HITP spiked apple cider mugs in random bushes at parks to avoid buying a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo.

 

Plastic cups, printed ride photos and stupid crap like that goes in a free eco friendly plant ocker-lay

 

Thanks for that Boldikus. Bill I'm glad I'm not the only one on here who admittedly uses the eco friendly plant ocker-lays!!

 

we just thought it was funny how annoyed you were that someone took it (since I was sure it was an employee who thought they were just picking up trash)

 

hehehe. . .

 

I LOVED hanging out with y'all. . . we need to meet up for another park trip to spend day together at some point in the future!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ I know I'm totally going against what what I had planned for next year (no trips, period), but if there was another trip in mind,

that could be planned by others (hint) to another park(s)*, I would love to do it again with all of you! I had such a good

time, with how we spent it (even with the interminable Maverick hold up), and what we did/rode for the day.... fantastic!

 

And I shall never forget how Dianne and I ....uh...."bonded" on that Monster ride, LOL.

 

Just letting you know....

 

 

[*Dollywood, Silver Dollar City, Holiday World, a lot of parks East of the Mississippi, to name a few...]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we just thought it was funny how annoyed you were that someone took it (since I was sure it was an employee who thought they were just picking up trash) hehehe. . . I LOVED hanging out with y'all. . . we need to meet up for another park trip to spend day together at some point in the future!

 

Oh, I was PISSED someone took my water! Who takes a water bottle out of the bushes? I mean really. But it was absolutely funny. Thankfully we were able to buy 2 new bottles shortly after so my hydration drought came to an end. No worries - you're not the only ones who have found my bewildered outrage about something so minimal extremely hilarious! It happens all the time. I most certainly have my little quirks and those around me who can put up with them benefit from it in the form of laughter and stuff I'll never live down LOL!! Feel free to bring it up repeatedly for the rest of my life We would be thrilled to hit up some more parks with you!

 

If there was another trip in mind, that could be planned by others (hint) to another park(s)*, I would love to do it again with all of you! I had such a good time, with how we spent it (even with the interminable Maverick hold up), and what we did/rode for the day.... fantastic! And I shall never forget how Dianne and I ....uh...."bonded" on that Monster ride, LOL.

 

Even after Monster stopped and Bert and I were unloading, your car was still spinning! The look on your faces was priceless. I'll be going to Dollywood July 31 and Aug 1 for the first time so can scout it! Hopefully LR will be running and I can sing its praises enough that you're pretty much forced to plan a trip there Of course, I'd have to join in to show you around the park haha. Carowinds isn't too far away from DW and Fury325 is worth the trip alone. If you're at all into flyers, Carowinds has some fantastic ones and they encourage snapping!!! Never been to SDC or HW but those would be fun as well!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Loving the tr so far - makes me excited to post my own. Does anyone know if the 800x600 image rule is strict? Is there a limit?

 

I thought the site "scales" them. . . I've never adjusted my pics, I just upload in batches of 25 (as suggested in the posting of multiple option). . . and then they simply come out to 800x600 adjusted.

 

I just checked several in the report so far, and all of them scaled to that, and look just beautiful (ie: no degradation when scaling).

 

The 800x600 is a legacy rule, the site now does "scale" them. The only time the 800 x 600 submission is helpful for the moderating team is when members use the Park Index submission tool to add a photo to the Park Index.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're a pinball wizard, Bert.

 

Great trip report. I decided to skip a visit to the Point this year, and I'm really regretting it. Haven't actually done anything like Coastermania before, I'm thinking 2018 could be the year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're a pinball wizard, Bert.

 

Great trip report. I decided to skip a visit to the Point this year, and I'm really regretting it. Haven't actually done anything like Coastermania before, I'm thinking 2018 could be the year.

 

I'm currently working on Sat (Day 3).

 

hoping to have that up tonight sometime..but maybe tomorrow morning.

 

Coastermania! was amazing. . the evening ERT we found we didn't even need -- other than getting the Wilderness Run credit

(tho that was because the crowd luckily had been so light, and we knew we had two more days after).

 

I've seen some folks complaining that we didn't get backstage tour of any coasters, or anything like a walk around no-longer-Mean-Streak.

 

but that's just whiny crap! Even if you discount the evening ERT, and the Q&A (which we skipped because we were simply having too much fun with TBpony & her Mom who weren't Coastermania! attendees, but just happened to be at the park), for the cost of CM! we got:

 

lanyard

T-shirt

commemorative pin

lunch

45 minute ferry tour around the peninsula

3 HOURS ERT in the morning before the park opened.

2 hours ERT in the evening - including the hard to get Wilderness Run credit (for an adult)

and a Q&A session w/ Park management.

 

worth every penny, and highly recommended, even without making full use of the evening ERT & Q&A (think I'll be back next year)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day Three, Saturday - or: We have a roll-back (in the room)

 

 

Since we had just spent a full day in the park (for me, almost 17hrs, as I never took a break to go to the room), we really weren’t planning on getting up early to take advantage of early entry (9am). .and besides, we knew we had fast lane +. But as tired as we might have been, we were up by 8:30 anyways, so we went down to the Starbucks, and sat out back of Breakers people watching, and eating some scones while drinking coffee and waking up for the day.

 

By 9:20, we were headed towards the beach entrance over by Windseeker, and exchanging the Groupon Tickets, and FL+ passes for admittance/armbands. We were literally the only ones from Breakers going in this gate at this time, in fact the guards/gate operators had to come over from behind the booth, where they had been hanging out just chatting waiting for customers to arrive.

 

So yeah, for those wondering, the security/metal detectors didn’t add even 1 minute of extra time getting into the park. Ever.

 

Note: despite the “Resort Entrance” being the one that Breakers really pushes – the one over by Magnum – we only came OUT that gate once, every other time we went in/out by the Windseeker gate, which was just that much more convenient for our room. I guess if you’re in the Breakers wing more towards the Magnum Gate, it might make sense to use it (or, if all you cared about was TTD, Magnum, or Maverick – since that gate puts you in the back end of the park). . but we were so close to the Windseeker Gate (and therefore Gatekeeper, Valravn, Millennium Force). . that’s the one I always used other than one time leaving to drop stuff at the room from Maverick, and then we went back in thru the Windseeker gate).

 

But I digress. . .

 

It was once again an absolutely beautiful day, but unlike Friday, where the earlier in the week forecast of rain had kept everyone away? Folks no longer believed the earlier in the week forecast and came out in droves. (the forecast actually had changed calling for Rain on Sun & Monday, but saying Sat would be clear).

 

it was clear from the moment we stepped thru the gate that it was already more crowded than it had been on Coastermania! Day, and this was still during early entry time (for at least the next 20 minutes). . so we went directly to Rugarou (since that was a credit we missed yesterday – Bill still needed that, Corkscrew and Wicked Twister, and I still needed that and Corkscrew, to get all 17 (counting both sides of Gemini) coasters . . . and no, pipe scream is NOT a coaster )

 

It was actually working this time, and we got our ride in! we still followed the advice of the operator from the prior evening, and rode in the 3rd row. And yes, tho not quite as rough as I had been expecting, it was just a little rough for me, and we treated this as a 1-and-done. It’s very similar to Superman Krypton Coaster at Fiesta, Tx, but that one is way smoother, and I have no issue riding that over and over. Glad I got to ride it, but I can just imagine how rough this was as a stand up. . so many transitions and opportunities to bonk ones’ head!

 

But we finally got to ride it, so that put us in a great mood, and we headed next door to Millennium Force, where I convinced Bill we needed to ride in the back (as noted yesterday, the only place I rode it from then on). Got an awesome ride there, and then we headed back to main midway so I could get Bill on Cedar Downs. . since I had ridden it with Liz/Dianne, and Bill wasn’t with us. I told him how unique and fun it was, and so we took in a spin.

 

By now main gates had opened and the crowd had pretty much doubled near the front of the park where we were. Valravn’s line was pretty much triple what it had been the day before, and the sign said ~45 minutes (it never got shorter during the day, only longer), but since we had the FL+, Valravn is one of the coasters where FL drops you off almost right at the station, so we had maybe a 7 minute wait. They weren’t turning trains anywhere near as fast as they had the prior day, but some of that had to do with folks trying to ride with things that clearly they should not have been (cameras / hats/ purses). . so that slowed down the load times. Still, we got on rather quickly, and decided to head back towards Maverick.

 

We popped in again to Millennium Force on the way by, and tho we used FL+, it put us out basically right at the bottom of the station ramp – which is right where the line was ending anyways. . LOL. . so we saved maybe 20 seconds. Amazingly (to me, at least), MF never really got a line today, it never did extend much past the FL+ merge, so stayed a consistent ~15 wait all day.

 

Upon exiting, we walked thru Frontier Town (everything was closed, up, as some rides/attractions didn’t open until 10 or 11am), and made our way to Maverick – where again, the FL+ merge brings you all the way up to the station.

 

A note regarding Fast Lane + : it’s really helpful for Valravn, Maverick, and Dragster.. . .tho not any help at all on Gatekeeper, as the merge is below the stairs, so really doesn’t help with wait times.. but since 3 of the 4 on FL+ are benefited by it, I’d recommend it. CP claims they only sell a limited amount of FL+, but I noted to Bill that there seemed to be an awful lot of people with the yellow armbands today.. . I had thought the FL+ armbands would be a different color than FL. Well, I came to find out (while shopping later), that CP was running a special that anyone with a season pass (who also got the early admission.. .explaining why it had been so crowded prior to park open at 10), that bought FL had it automatically upgraded to FL+ on that day. – resulting in that there were more folks in line for the 4 specific Coasters that you benefit from on FL+ than there normally would be.

 

So it added a little bit of a wait..still, not too bad.

 

We got to Maverick, used our FL+, got up to the station, and got in queue for the front car, which took about 6 minutes to get into station queue.. . . and it broke down.

 

Yep, again.

 

This time we waited and they got it back up in about 5 minutes, so not too bad, but funny in that the station crew & Supervisors were the same group from Friday, and they recognized us and were very apologetic. But it was nice they got to know us and the supervisor said hello to me on the other times we rode.

 

Maverick is just an amazing coaster, so I really enjoyed the re-ride, and we decided to continue around the park towards TTD, even tho we hadn’t seen it running all morning. Actually not since the back to back to back rollbacks from the prior night.

 

Lots of things we were wanting to get on weren’t open just yet (Gemini and the mine Train both didn’t open until 11am), so we decided to head over to Corkscrew to get the last credit I needed, and one of the 2 Bill still needed.

 

Despite some of the transitions, Corkscrew really was not that bad. Not to say we rode it more than just this one time (LOL), but yeah, it wasn’t as bad as I had been expecting, and I have to give it huge points for being so dang photogenic. Just the way it sweeps over the midway there. Beautiful.

 

TTD was, indeed down, so we decided to do a little shopping in the TTD store they have right there. . which was empty – until we walked in. As it typical, some funky thing in the universe I guess. . wherever I go, the crowd follows. It happened in lines, it happens in stores, and it happened here. I went to look at shirts and some magnets, and immediately 5-6 people came in the small store and started asking question, trying to get issues resolved, or just complaining about TTD being down.

 

I have to admit, while standing there, I was greatly amused by the big, obnoxious guy, who stormed into the shop and cut in the line to berate the clerk about who he needs to talk to -- so he can get a refund on his FL+, since he ONLY buys FL+ so he can ride TTD, so damn it, he wants his money back.

The poor clerk just directed him to Customer Service in the front of the park, but the guy just kept complaining, so I opined that he wasn’t going to get a refund because 3 of the 4 coasters on FL+ were running, and I’m sure the small print guarantees nothing about all rides being operating. So why doesn’t he just go ride something else?

He sneered at me about how he’s been here THREE times this season and it’s been down every time and TTD is the ONLY reason he comes to CP, so he deserves his money back.

I gave a shrug and noted we rode it yesterday, and the clerk again told him that he needed to go to front gate to talk to Customer Service, and the guy stormed out, cursing.

 

I rolled my eyes to the clerk and he mouthed, “I know”.. to me. . but I guess as an employee they *have* to be polite. ..glad I stepped in and tried to help the poor guy tho.

 

In addition to the magnets, I wanted 3 shirts – two of which they didn’t have in the sizes I needed hanging on the wall (and once I finally did get the counter guy and girl (who had been “hiding” in the back while the complaining guy was ranting) to help me, they checked all the stock in the back room, and then called up to the gift shop near the front gate and confirmed they had at least one of them in the size I needed for a gift, and they would hold it for me.

 

We were starting to get hungry, as it was probably 11:20 now, and where we were going for lunch. .the dreaded “Midway Market” had opened at 11. So we decided to hop on the Skyride (Matterhorn station), and take it to the other side that lets out right near the market. Other than Bill almost getting trampled by a group of kids who were right on his back coming down the skyride steps – they wanted to rush around to the other side to ride it back. . .but you better believe Bill let them have it!

 

I love crappy buffets, and we had been warned this was a bad one.. but you know what? It really wasn’t that bad. It reminded me very much of a cheap Vegas hotel buffet, so I loved it.

Was the food amazing? No, but it was acceptable to good, and you can’t fault the desert options, as there were a LOT of them. Heck, I ate way too much, but we for sure got our money’s worth, as both Bill and I were given the Senior price. . LOL.

 

We just asked what the age was for Senior pricing, and the lady at register said 65. So even Bill didn’t qualify for that. . but then the hostess corrected her and said, no, it’s 55.

So I jokingly said, “oh good, we both get the Senior price”. . . and at first I felt guilty, but when she didn’t bat an eye and rang it up I couldn’t decide if I was happy I saved $3, or if I was annoyed she thought I was 55 ! (LOL).

 

Anyways, I really liked the variety of choices, and as noted, some of the options (the Veggie Lasagna, the Cream of Broccoli soup, and the potstickers) were excellent.

The Meatballs, various versions of Broccoli and Corn veg, the Salad Bar, and fried chicken were acceptable. . . but I didn’t try Meatloaf or mashed potatoes, or a couple of other options, as they did NOT look good. I got some pics of the food, but I didn’t get any desert pics (Bill took one of my desert plate, I think. . tho I took a lot just to sample and did NOT eat everything on the desert plate). I did give in and have a cola with lunch tho, as the Freestyle machines were included in the price.

 

we took our time, and people watched on the midway while we ate, and the place did fill up pretty good with groups (there were Marching bands in the park on Sat, so lots of school age groups going up and down the midway). But it never really got packed in the Midway Market, so I’d guess it has a reputation. But heck, I’d eat there again.

 

Since we were near the Front, we went to the giftshop that the TTD giftshop had called, and they were holding the shirt for me (great customer service).

I told the cashier we wanted to shop a bit more (that’s where Bill got the tie-dye mug, I think), and I actually found the OTHER shirt I had been looking for in the size I needed.

They also had a few different magnets that I really liked, but I just couldn’t justify buying more CP magnets, as I already had 2 (and would go on to buy a Dinosaurs Alive! Set the next day). . .she told me I could go back to the TTD store to return one of the Magnets I had to buy the other one (wish she would have let me just exchange). . but no big deal.

 

What was striking tho is that the prices were slightly different on the same merchandise they had in the TTD store. I pointed out a couple of examples to the cashier, but she just shrugged. Oh well.. .she just works there. . .

 

As we had now bought some stuff, Bill was antsy to get back to the room for a bit to relax. I decided that I wasn’t going to go back, reasoning as I did Friday that if I went back, I’d not want to get my shoes back on and I’d lose some time in the park. . .but I walked with him towards the Windseeker gate, and we noticed that Wicked Twister was close to a walk on (it had a little bit of a wait), and that was the last credit Bill needed, so we got in line.

 

Now it LOOKED like Wicked Twister was going to be almost no wait, but it turned out it was almost 20 minutes, due to all the folks who apparently feel the “Test Seat” out front is just a suggestion!

 

Seriously . . . from every time they loaded the train, there were 2-3 people who had to do the walk of shame. . and it wasn’t fast either, first they had to try to staple in, and then they had to try to get the seatbelt to click, and then when it wouldn’t, they had to unlock the train to let the person out. . . and then do the same thing a few rows back. Now this wasn’t a station wait, there was a short line, so there were PEOPLE IN THE LINE, who were larger than those that had to do the walk, who still waited, and then still tried to get in the seats.

To be clear, I am not trying to body-shame here, and to be fair, Wicked Twister has uniquely shaped seats.

 

But unlike some of the other coasters, it doesn’t have any “big boy” seats. . . so why in the world would you not see the many walks of shame, and try the test seat?? In particular on a ride with only one train, that can’t move until the train is fully secure.. so it just ate up time that shouldn’t’ have been wasted.

 

(sorry, rant over, but it’s important, due to what happened next):

 

So we finally get our ride (back row so we got full twist effect on the back spike), and Bill got all the credits.

He was ready to go back to the room, but as we passed Windseeker when I walked him to the gate, we noticed it has a FastLane line, and it was just loading up for a cycle. We had the armbands, so went ahead and hopped in, and were definitely on the next cycle, even having our seats assigned already. And then? They couldn’t start the current cycle, some of the seats were not showing green light. And so the operators went around several times (always back to the same 2 or 3 large folks) and pushed and pushed on the restraints, and checked the lights, only to have the operator announce some seats aren’t closed still. After about 10 minutes of this, they announced they had to re-set and the ride was going down.

 

Bill pretty much lost it at that point, and just stormed off loudly towards the hotel.

 

I get the frustration, and in his defense, he did apologize to me for the way he was acting out in frustration when we met back up a few hours later.

 

But yeah, it was a tad bit frustrating, even tho Windseeker doesn’t have test-seats, because it kept happening - we witnessed it all over the park on multiple rides L

 

I tried not to hold it against anyone. . again, not trying to body-shame. . hell, I lost 70lbs in the past couple of years, so I was ignoring all the test seats, but when I went to BGW, you bet I tried in all the seats before I got in the queue.

 

So after Bill headed back to the room, I decided I wanted to continue riding a few things, so headed to Cedar Downs for another round.

I also wanted to continue making use of my FL+, so I headed to Gatekeeper (front left, so smooth), followed by back to back rides on Valravn, and then another round on Cedar Downs.

 

(if you’re wondering how I keep all this straight? Two ways: 1) I look at my pictures before I start typing up a report, which remind me what order I did things in. and 2) after Liz sent me a list of what we rode together on Friday, I kept track on Sat, so I actually have the notes in my phone (but only for Sat. . LOL. . forgot to do it on Monday).

 

After 2 rounds on Cedar Downs, and 3 coasters, I sat on the corkscrew midway and people-watched, took some pictures, and then spent some time shopping in the Pagoda Gift Shop and the Peanuts gift shop (well. . not really shopping. . more browsing for what I’d want to come back to buy on Monday). I was meeting Bill at Windseeker after his 1 ½ hour break, so I headed over that way, and took some pictures, and continued people-watching (there are a lot of “my type” roaming in the park today, so lots to look at. . LOL. . and even take some stealthy pictures of

 

I was so busy people watching and taking pics of Windseeker, Bill walked right by me and we missed each other. . . luckily, when he was a few minutes late, I started to look around and found him sitting behind me, waiting for me to come from the midway. . .LOL. . but we found each other, and headed towards TTD – which was actually running consistently in the afternoon, after it had been down pretty much all morning.

 

we got a ride in, and then decided to brave Magnum in the back car (way rougher than in the front, but still enjoyable), and then over to Gemini (Blue Train) so I could get the other track credit, and so we could ride this super smooth (other than that last helix turn!) steel coaster in a wooden frame).

 

it was a little bit early for BBQ and brews, even tho they had already started serving. .and honestly, I just wasn’t hungry yet, so we decided to head over to Maverick and the line wasn’t too bad with FL+. Or at least it shouldn’t have been. . yep. . .the moment we were on the platform, about 4 cars away? Broke down.

 

we waited about 10 minutes, people watching and chatting with the operators, and other folks in line, and people started to give up and leave. As I said, I wasn’t really hungry yet, so I said to Bill we should wait a bit to see if it comes up.

 

He was absolutely convinced it was not going to be coming up, he was sure of it (I think he was ready to get some of the brews), but I got him to stay at least another 10 minutes, and then he started to get really antsy, and did not want to wait, he said it wouldn’t be up in the next ½ hour (and to his point, it actually did come up about 25 minutes later. . we saw that from the Brews & BBQ, and the guys that had been behind us in line came by and told us they had waited and had fun). . . . eh. .is what it is.

 

When we left Maverick we walked over to the BBQ & Brews check in, and exchanged our online for the official tickets. While chatting with the folks at check in, we related how Maverick had broken down again, right when we were at the station. . and it must be us that are cursed. And I relayed the story of the guy earlier insisting he wanted a refund because TTD was down pretending that even tho we’d been riding stuff all day, we wanted money back. . LOL. . . . and the lady laughed (she absolutely knew I was joking) , and then she gave us bonus coupons (that were intended for Season Pass holders, but she gave to us as a gift) that were good for a 12 oz beer (so basically 3 extra tickets each)!

 

Hadn’t been expecting it, but appreciated her giving it to us, and I used mine for a chocolate ale that was quite good. We sampled most all of the food (although one of the briskets I wanted to try was sold out). .and to be honest, I didn’t think that most of the BBQ was great (oh, some of it was *very* good – in particular the sausages – but most of the pulled pork I found to be lacking spice). Good BBQ is only as good as the sauces, and being used to Texas BBQ, I enjoy a really tangy/spicy sauce, and the vast majority of the booths featured some version of a very sweet sauce. Don’t get me wrong, absolutely worth the price, and I ate most of it. . so it wasn’t terrible, but I do think most of the offerings were “out-BarBQued” by Famous Dave’s the next day!

 

We had so many tickets that despite trying all the food options, and multiple of the Brews (my favorite was the apple pie moonshine, but the cream soda, and the chocolate ale were great too, as was the fizzy pink one that I can’t recall the name of) we still had a bunch left, so got all of the deserts (only 1 ticket each) and Bill still had one to keep as a souvenir.

 

We had grabbed a table as a central location (near the music stage), and throughout enjoying the offerings, we had several other folks come sit and join us and we had some great conversations, and discussions as to what to try next, and what was recommended. The crowd also offered me some people-watching opportunities, as someone I had noticed while peoplewatching earlier in the day, had come to the Brews & BBQ, and had “dressed up” – putting on his “red” cap (he had been wearing a different hat earlier). . . he and his group were near us propped on the self compacting trash can, smoking – in a non-smoking area – and did so until Park Mgmt came over and told them to move to a smoking area.

 

When I went to toss my garbage away, I asked Mgmt why the trash cans had locks on them. . was someone going to steal trash? . . and he laughed and said it’s for liability, so someone can’t get smashed in the innards when it compacts. . . sheesh.. people.

 

He asked me if we were having fun, and I told him yes, and tho I appreciated him asking the smokers to move along (note: we had NOT complained, nor had anyone near us), I hadn’t minded as I love people watching anyways and I find . . um. . no polite way to say it so here goes -- “redneck trash” -- very interesting to look at. I mean that as a compliment. . really, I do!

 

After we finished up, Bill said, “let’s try Maverick again”. . I was wary, as we had just eaten, and drank, but figured why not, so we got in line, and made it up to the station. . . and. . .

Ok, it didn’t break, but someone threw up the moment they buckled him into the car (and it was a kid, not even someone who had been drinking at Brews & BBQ) . . so that took the ride down for 10 minutes while they cleaned it all up, cordoned off that car (they sent it thru empty twice that we saw), and we finally got our ride in on Maverick.

 

Right at around 9:20 pm. . so late dusk and sun was setting well.

 

Yeah.

 

Bill said he didn’t notice. . but I got hit dozens of times with the bugs, as you zoom past the spotlights! I kept my mouth closed, my head down, and my eyes squeezed shut.. and still had to go to the restroom after to try to get the black spots off my face. . .note to self, at dusk, do NOT ride Maverick in the front seat!

 

It was getting close to park close so I wanted one more ride on Millennium Force on the way out. Still about the same station wait – and I was amazed that MF had such a short line for night rides – but we waited, and got in line for back seat (added bonus, a whole train of folks in front of us to serve as a windshield!) and Oh MY. . . that lift hill when all you can see off on the bay side is darkness? Incredible!

 

But it had been a long day (after a long day yesterday) and we had eaten and drank, and I was pooped, and we started to head towards the Windseeker Gate, but as we passed the midway (where Wildcat used to sit), I noticed they seemed to be gearing up for something. . the drum kits on the raised platforms in the pathway had been uncovered with drummers sitting behind them, and they were doing something in the overhead scaffolding, with a countdown clock on the stage (that wasn’t’ moving).

 

So I asked the drummer at the 1st kit we came to what was going on, and the told me they were going to do a run-thru of the Luminosity show, that was starting next week (so I think that means that means it started Friday?).

 

He said it was going to start in a few minutes and that even tho the park had closed, we were more than welcome to stay and watch. There were a few dozen folks sitting on the bleachers, so we went ahead and joined them. Now this was a dry run, so done without any costumes – the cast in T-shirts some in shorts – no makeup, and they were still trying to figure out the light blocking, so a couple of times, the spotlights couldn’t find the performers. But still, we got to see the show, and it’s pretty good, even without the costumes/makeup.

 

I’d imagine it’s MUCH more impressive with full staging/costumes, but as it was, I still very much enjoyed it. The singing (there seemed to be 4 main singers, 2 male, 2 female) doing covers of what I could call “classics”, and in addition a ½ dozen silks/trapeze artists, doing Cirque Du Soliel type moves – including one pair that does several different things while suspended on harnesses over the audience (once acrobatic segment had them performing while hanging onto a giant Dream-catcher over the crowd).

 

the show *seemed* to have some tie into the “Battle for Cedar Point” they are promoting, as there were projections of the coaster characters, and clan flags for the coaster characters as well, that were included in the show.

 

There were a couple of snags – biggest one being a curtain that got caught and they had to lower it to remove it. . but that’s what one would expect on a run-thru. The only constructive criticism I gave was that when the lead guitarist gets strapped into the “over the audience’ rig, and “flies” out while performing a solo.. it kind of looked silly, and everyone in the audience that was watching giggled or laughed. I don’t think that’s what they were going for. But maybe it will work better in full costume?

 

Regardless, an enjoyable show, and especially if it’s one that runs just after park close, so the light will really show up? I’d recommend watching “Luminosity” if you get the chance.

 

It was maybe a quarter to 11 by the time we got back to the room, and I had called Nick on the walk back to tell him about our day and he mentioned to me about the terror attacks in London. He assumed we had heard about them, but we hadn’t had the TV on, and the TVs in Breakers only show the weather reports and park information (by the Bar/Starbucks) or Disney movies (the TV in the check in lobby area). . so I hadn’t heard about it and he didn’t have any further information. So I wanted to turn on the TV to see what was going on, and Bill headed down the bar to have a cocktail, since we weren’t going to the park in the morning, and so could sleep in.

 

I actually never got around to turning on the TV to find out what happened. . .since our toilet had an issue!

 

Now, the toilets at Breakers are odd. . at least the one in our room. .they “double-flush”. . I mean, you flush, and then it drains, and then the toilet does a 2nd flush. Thought it was really odd, but didn’t thin much more about it. So when we get back to the room, I go pee first thing, and I flush, and it drains, but then I notice before stepping away, that instead of draining all the way down, it only goes ½ way, and then starts to rise! It gets near to the rim, and then the 2nd flush happens, and the water starts pouring over the rim of the toilet while I just stand there shocked.

 

I grabbed every towel that was available in the bathroom and started tossing on the floor, but the toilet was NOT gonna stop until after the 2nd flush finished. . . and then, and only then, did it drain all the way down. I was like. . what the hell? (and thanking the universe that I had only peed!). I called to facilities, and got no response, it just rang (I guess it was right around 11pm at this point), so went ahead and rang the front desk and told them what happened. They said they would send housekeeping right up.

 

I tried my best to “clean up” what I could, but it was an awful lot of toilet water, and even with all the towels, there was quite a bit left on the bathroom floor in pools.

 

a few minutes later, there’s a knock at the door, and there’s this tiny little housekeeper, carrying about a dozen towels, and she says ‘you need fresh towels?”

 

So I said yes, and thanked her and took them, and she starts to walk away, and I’m like “ummmm. . what about the bathroom?” and she looked confused.

 

Yep, the front desk hadn’t told her WHY we needed replacement towels, nor sent her up with any kind of mop or bucket – this is yet again the big issue I had with Breakers. . they are trying and the staff is pleasant, but they really don’t seem to know what they are doing.

 

This poor woman, took a look at the bathroom, then said she’d take care of it, and went and gathered up all the soaking wet towels, and took them in her arms, dripping all down her shirt and khakis. I was absolutely horrified, and tried to stop her when she was bending over to pick them up, and I said, “that’s toilet water.. you can’t pick those up with your hands, shouldn’t we get a bucket??”. . and her response?

 

“no worries, I got it. I’m used to it.”

 

So apparently they are aware of this issue? I’m not sure if too many rooms flushing at the same time causes the plumbing issue, or what? I know that we had put nothing down the toilet that caused a clog. (and also the bathroom on the 1st floor by the bar had overflowed too, as we noticed there were several towels on the floor in there). . but yeah. . she was “used” to it.

 

Seems like something they really need to look into! I ran and got her a $10 before she left, as I felt terrible she carried the towels.

 

they never came back and mopped up remaining water in the bathroom either. . it just air-dried by the time we made it back up to the room later that night.

 

So I never turned on the TV to get the news, but headed down to the bar for a cocktail, and found Aimee and Gordon (as well as Bill), and we all sat together at a table on the patio watching the firepits, and chatting. They informed me what had happened in London, and I shared the drama of the overflowing toilet, and that’s why I was detained coming down (Bill thought I had been watching the news).. . . this story, got Gordon to exclaim:

 

“your toilet had a roll-back!!”

 

LOL

 

While chatting at our table, we noticed another group by the firepits having a “dance party” to music playing on a tablet.. . .they were all having a grand old time, and didn’t care what they looked like, so we went and talked to them, and they ended up sitting at the table next to us, and we made some new friends (this would be Gina and her Hubby who I talked about the other day), as well as a group of local gay guys who come to Breakers from the Marina (where their boats were) to hang out at the bar. . tho we never saw the guys again, just Gina and her Hubby).

 

Aimee for some reason, had a cheese plate, and tho we were still very full from Buffet lunch and Brews & BBQ, she went to their room and brought it out for everyone else to share.

 

Don’t recall what time we stayed at the bar until, but I think they were open and serving past 1am, and since Sunday was a non-park day for us, we just hung out and enjoyed the company, until we finally headed upstairs to go to bed.. looking forwards to sleeping in.

IMG_1943.thumb.JPG.1fab97fd955322b668af12f4a0f94abc.JPG

we're exhausted, but up and drinking coffee at Starbucks before walking up the boardwalk to the Windseeker entrance for early entry.

IMG_1944.thumb.JPG.789381ddae4ccd70e95980e2071cf189.JPG

looks like it's going to be a nice day tho!

IMG_1945.thumb.JPG.737c038112a2bdb01328e7bc3a962d6e.JPG

I has found my throne!

IMG_1946.thumb.JPG.b2ac35c437ab6da16499c403dca2ff0c.JPG

yeah. . .definitely busier than it was yesterday.

 

This is just after main gates opened - glad we had FL+

IMG_1947.thumb.JPG.91ace8845bb26ed2047951750cda6e07.JPG

the offerings at Midway Market were decent, some better than others, but a good value for the price.

 

(we'd be trying many other places on Monday, that were either equal or only slightly better.. with prices much higher)

IMG_1948.thumb.JPG.569709798e8243767dd5b545bdf35bf4.JPG

Bill's enjoying his meal

IMG_1950.thumb.JPG.a117a850f447af96cf316289250530c3.JPG

in line for Wicked Twister. . . the line stretched out to under the back spike, so it SHOULD have been a very short wait.

IMG_1951.thumb.JPG.1b00428379a490bc4ff38b9626d83bba.JPG

IMG_1952.thumb.JPG.2bf65564ebe9f3d3c7452993357fd605.JPG

IMG_1953.thumb.JPG.28d59645eb419490625de7a990ccb4da.JPG

from Gatekeeper station when I went to ride after Bill went back to room.

IMG_1954.thumb.JPG.a3e527ed5e767084a69d969a8a0af04d.JPG

IMG_1955.thumb.JPG.b1c7493be17796aadd915bdb231688a2.JPG

wandering around taking pictures and people watching.. . catching Valravn doing it's thing.

IMG_1956.thumb.JPG.bfbe001e2e367af73836fc14bfab3805.JPG

IMG_1957.thumb.JPG.81bf750eeab2c4d630e9eee8fbd49459.JPG

IMG_1958.thumb.JPG.7e8116e68d16f39fbc99fc5c51200fe9.JPG

Iron Dragon went down while I was waiting for a pic of it. . so eventually just gave up and took this pretty pic of the track only :)

IMG_1959.thumb.JPG.d11fc6c9b34f4e8aefb2c664ddbcff21.JPG

This looked like it would be fun, but not really a fan of towers, so we never did ride Power Tower.

IMG_1960.thumb.JPG.11c8ccb9e13c76d30504821d51b10d33.JPG

Corkscrew is very photogenic, particularly if you can get it at an angle with not a lot of people in the picture.

 

The park was fairly crowded, you just can't really tell from these pics

IMG_1961.thumb.JPG.826c3282367c27b9aaccbcdc602f8d1c.JPG

IMG_1962.thumb.JPG.39635729edf91367a4d74b09feadfb37.JPG

IMG_1963.thumb.JPG.af50b130084d8d880a4a7230a2349562.JPG

Tiki Twirl. . never had been on a Calypso type ride before. . we got a ride on it Monday

IMG_1964.thumb.JPG.1c86175b781afe5974ce5d8b06403a2d.JPG

love this ferris wheel. . again, tho, too bad about the poor operations on it.

 

it holds so many, why do most parks only seem to fill up a few buckets?

IMG_1968.thumb.JPG.10bbce84c38c98fd0cd9afc85098b836.JPG

Taking pics of Windseeker while waiting for Bill to come back.

I missed him, and he walked right by me while I was taking these.

IMG_1969.thumb.JPG.3876c5979d5f905a1febee938a4e2f76.JPG

IMG_1971.thumb.JPG.dee82307d810234811e54ace403a24e3.JPG

IMG_1972.thumb.JPG.82725ef13879749b672bfc03d4eba0cf.JPG

but after we met back up, we were able to get a ride on TTD, with not too long of a wait.

IMG_1977.thumb.JPG.651074fc05cb515e7705cd3b3e68203a.JPG

after Maverick broke down again.. time to do Brew and BBQ

IMG_1978.thumb.JPG.0ea9e02a505759c0309f9d4f2f48257a.JPG

lots of yummy sounding options. Most were decent, but nothing really fantastic, other than the sausage options.

 

the sauces just weren't tangy enough for me, I like my spice!

IMG_1979.thumb.JPG.92a8f7cf40de580ba12940e7cf9f7b0f.JPG

some of the "Brews" options

IMG_1980.thumb.JPG.50feeb1dac316f19e76ea7cfdc344ecf.JPG

more "Brews options"

IMG_1981.thumb.JPG.faf2684a6b82e0d68ec78aa665e3e9c0.JPG

map of the layout in Frontiertown

IMG_1982.thumb.JPG.fe217331e64d55685eb5646435b0f051.JPG

the guy smoking on the trash can. . . . before Mgmt made them move

IMG_1983.thumb.JPG.c80217f0b1b54ada6e2853e0673c5fa6.JPG

an example of some of the options. . this was the pulled pork slider and spicy sausage side.

IMG_1985.thumb.JPG.cf018584488b347f56d07eb8c1195f2d.JPG

oooo. pretty!

IMG_1986.thumb.JPG.69d0362d8d32f05f909ecdf118f1941a.JPG

dusk. . . but forgot about the bugs in the font seats . . . ewww

IMG_1987.thumb.JPG.e17b64b320e2333a0f8f085b5caef487.JPG

Wave Swinger at dusk

IMG_1988.thumb.JPG.3cdf37b646e2847a7ce3769f433f755e.JPG

IMG_1989.thumb.JPG.98f3afecc101349e26c78e780bf4dad3.JPG

IMG_1990.thumb.JPG.964c665132c4449beb8ebc00121959c7.JPG

on the way out, they were going to test run, "Luminosity" so we stayed to watch.

IMG_1991.thumb.JPG.76b95e6b57e314179d58a43a3f76423e.JPG

no costumes or makeup. . .but still, a full run-thru, and these pics give you an idea of how elaborate the staging is.

IMG_1992.thumb.JPG.9fe68e62d4fd13f55e1851d415e2939a.JPG

IMG_1993.thumb.JPG.6dddc363c26329e0acf1bc547388c4cd.JPG

IMG_1994.thumb.JPG.a49591a4c60ed33c1171f06d47e4cc59.JPG

IMG_1995.thumb.JPG.4bf67ba2dbda71e501d79417ebb38c0e.JPG

IMG_1996.thumb.JPG.49637afeeffa27559004426b12f52c1f.JPG

IMG_1997.thumb.JPG.9c0de7ab0b2d1d9310333691fdccb4b0.JPG

IMG_1998.thumb.JPG.41699f0528e9825c5ab1d73ac17e83ee.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea, that's about right.

 

^Ha! Couldn't have said it better myself! Something tells me this guy is related to the redneck a-hole tailgating and swerving behind Andrew's car in his ongoing Dollywood TR. Too bad none of us got a pic of the guy with kids in CP at the front of the park on Friday with the Trump shirt on. We weren't the only ones making faces, that's for sure.

 

 

Comments on Day 3:

I’m really thankful for both of the Breakers entrances into the park. Usually I’m in the wing closer to Magnum and we always start at the back of the park working our way front, so never use the Beach entrance in the AM. The metal detectors took all of 14 seconds at the Resort entrance as well. I remember hearing something about season pass holders getting a free FL+ upgrade… I’ll have to look into that for my trip in July when we usually need FL+ both days. I'll text you a picture of Gatekeeper's packed queue at that point and then you can see how much of a benefit FL+ putting you at the bottom of the steps is! Millennium Force, row 17, bay (left) side is where it’s at! Especially at night…

 

We are not buffet fans so have never been inside the Midway Market. It’s too bad CP doesn’t ditch that and copy Harmony Hall at Carowinds, which is hands down some of the best park food I’ve ever had. They blast the AC and have probably 5 or 6 different food stations to queue in where they make the food fresh such as bbq, pizza, salad, chicken, etc. They also have a stage and from time to time a really good band plays cover songs. It’s nice and dark and about the size of BGW’s Festhaus so plenty of room for lots of people but never gets super loud.

 

Your toilet overflowed?! Good grief! Next time turn the shutoff valve behind the tank off and it'll at least stop the water flowing in. What a mess. We had no issues with our room - which actually overlooked the patio where you guys sat in the morning before heading into the park.

 

About how long was the Luminosity rehearsal? Mom and I caught the last few minutes of it Friday night when they were finishing rehearsing. The only thing I know about it is the past few years they have a few fireworks and some bizarre, loud AF dance party with a really crappy DJ up in the air on a scissor lift dropping beats on a MacBook Air. People seem really into it though and kids go crazy dancing around on stage. Guess there's only one singing and acrobatic performance earlier in the evening that precedes the party...? Who knows.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About how long was the Luminosity rehearsal? Mom and I caught the last few minutes of it Friday night when they were finishing rehearsing. The only thing I know about it is the past few years they have a few fireworks and some bizarre, loud AF dance party with a really crappy DJ up in the air on a scissor lift dropping beats on a MacBook Air. People seem really into it though and kids go crazy dancing around on stage. Guess there's only one singing and acrobatic performance earlier in the evening that precedes the party...? Who knows.

 

 

they ran the entire show..I'd say it was about 35-40 minutes?

 

I got the impression this show ends with fireworks/flame effects, but they weren't doing those just yet.

 

also got the impression this is going to replace the "dance party". . as they were playing music over the speakers as the crowd dispersed. I was surprised how many stayed to watch the rehearsal. . I'd imagine with all of the costumes/makeup/effects? it will fill those giant bleachers, and the pathway on the midway. . so it's gonna draw a crowd.

 

 

(and didn't even think about the toilet valve..was just shocked it was doing it!!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent report, Bert! Always love following along.

 

 

thanks!

 

I love typing them up.. even if they take a long time.

 

(and actually, that guy I had seen earlier, and have several other pics of.. . like I said, I enjoy people watching), but didn't want to post without blurring his face, and just didn't want to mess with it. But, and I may have mentioned, he earlier was wearing a different hat, and had the Trump hat tucked into his belt buckle. He "got fancy like" for Brews & BBQ. . LOL.

 

glad you're enjoying. . I still have 2 1/2 days to go. . tho not a lot of pics from Sunday (we were at the pool/bar most of those days), or Tuesday (traveling).

 

but I still will cover those days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really enjoying the TR, and loving the pics. We were standing outside of Maverick when the kid puked, I just heard an announcement over the loudspeaker that the ride was closed because someone vomited. I thought that was strange, no "protein spill" or "code v" or something a little less humiliating for the kid that puked.

Speaking of the cheese plate, I forgot that I threw my cheese knife in the bag that would end up being my carry on. Fun Fun times with the TSA.

Gordon will be so proud to hear that roll back made it into the TR!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gordon will be so proud to hear that roll back made it into the TR!!

 

of course it did! glad you're enjoying the TR

 

too much fun with the knife at TSA... and too funny y'all were by Maverick for the "protein spill". . .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/