Lagoon Discussion Thread

[robbalvey]

^ We expect a full trip report!

[jray21]

I've been trying to go, but have had problems every time I've planned to go. Hopefully I'll get there soon!

[Guy T. Koepp]

Sooooo... ...Here's my plan. I fly in on Friday October 9th and arrive at 1pm. I pick up my rental car at 2pm. Drive to my hotel and check in at 3. This leaves me 2 hours to get ready, eat dinner, etc, before gates open for their Friday night Halloween event. I plan on closing out the park Friday night, having a nice midnight meal, then crashing for the night. On Saturday, I plan on heading back at opening for several more hours of daytime park enjoyment. Leaving between 5 & 6 to catch my 8pm flight out to Vegas for work Sunday morning.

 

Who's with me! Joey, this includes you! I'm trying to strongarm Dan into making the trip, but as of this moment he's being a pussy.

 

And anyone know of any discounts that I might be able to put to good use for Friday and Saturday?

[linearinduction]

Sooooo... ...Here's my plan. I fly in on Friday October 9th and arrive at 1pm. I pick up my rental car at 2pm. Drive to my hotel and check in at 3. This leaves me 2 hours to get ready, eat dinner, etc, before gates open for their Friday night Halloween event. I plan on closing out the park Friday night, having a nice midnight meal, then crashing for the night. On Saturday, I plan on heading back at opening for several more hours of daytime park enjoyment. Leaving between 5 & 6 to catch my 8pm flight out to Vegas for work Sunday morning.

 

Who's with me! Joey, this includes you! I'm trying to strongarm Dan into making the trip, but as of this moment he's being a pussy.

 

And anyone know of any discounts that I might be able to put to good use for Friday and Saturday?

The best discount on All Day Passports is to buy them at Costco ($39.99), and there is one located conveniently off of the 400 North 1-15 Off Ramp (Exit 317) in Bountiful. Any other/better discounts will be found by joining Lagoon's Fun Time Club on the bottom of this page http://www.lagoonpark.com/tickets/deals-packages/ on LagoonPark.com

[Guy T. Koepp]

As there is no Costco near me here in Nashville, I let my membership lapse, so that option is out the door.

 

I signed up to be a Lagoon Funtime Member. How often do they run specials? Is it likely they will have a few before my trip on the 9th? Not that the General Fee is bad, just that I am shelling out a bit more for the car rental and Hotel and I would like to see if I can save a few pennies on entrance. No big as I'm still going anyway. Just here's to hoping.

 

Also, as it looks right now, I'm doing this one Solo, any locals going to be there on the 9th or 10th and wouldn't mind having a tag along?

 

I can't find much about their Halloween event on line. Do they do any kind of Pre-Scare dinner? Do they have any kind of VIP experience?

 

So many questions. So little time.

[linearinduction]

As there is no Costco near me here in Nashville, I let my membership lapse, so that option is out the door.

 

I signed up to be a Lagoon Funtime Member. How often do they run specials? Is it likely they will have a few before my trip on the 9th? Not that the General Fee is bad, just that I am shelling out a bit more for the car rental and Hotel and I would like to see if I can save a few pennies on entrance. No big as I'm still going anyway. Just here's to hoping.

 

Also, as it looks right now, I'm doing this one Solo, any locals going to be there on the 9th or 10th and wouldn't mind having a tag along?

 

I can't find much about their Halloween event on line. Do they do any kind of Pre-Scare dinner? Do they have any kind of VIP experience?

 

So many questions. So little time.

 

There is a possibility I might be able to meet you at the Bountiful Costco on the Friday Afternoon/Evening sometime after 3pm on the 9th, but I won't know until closer to the date.

 

It's unlikely there will be a discount offer via the Fun Time Club for that weekend, unless they are doing a non date specific discount, which doesn't happen often.

 

Lagoon does offer Character Dining for an additional fee of $25 (or more, but I can't remember if the price went up last year or not) from 5:30 to 6:30 that includes a Bread Bowl with Choice of Chili, Beef Stew, or Broccoli Cheese Soup, Chicken Strips, and Deserts, photographs with the Costumed Characters, and a Timewarp Wristband that lets you skip the lines to the Houses.

 

I will most likely be there both Friday and Saturday Afternoon til Close, if you need someone to ride with you in front and back rows and for Jet Star 2.

[Guy T. Koepp]

^All excellent Information. Thank you so much! I will stay in contact as my dates get closer. I would love to have someone as knowledgeable about the park as you are to be there with me for a bit. I do enjoy meeting fellow TPR members. As soon as that dining option becomes available can you let me know? Or is it something I would need to arrange through guest services? My goal is to really try and enjoy the Halloween event Friday night as it's looking like that may be my only haunted attraction this year due to an insane work schedule this fall. That way I can leisurely hit everything I miss on Saturday, and head out around 5 to catch a plane to Vegas at 8ish. 3 hours should be enough time to get from the park to the airport and checked in without rushing right? I haven't been through SLC in years.

 

Oh! What are temps like in mid fall? I know in Colorado and New Mexico it could run the Gambit of mid 80s and gorgeous to mid 30s and snowing. I will definitely have to keep my eye on the weather as my trip gets closer.

 

Again, thanks for all the information. I am really looking forward to getting out to this park. I have been wanting to go for years now, and all the stars are finally aligning properly.

[linearinduction]

^All excellent Information. Thank you so much! I will stay in contact as my dates get closer. I would love to have someone as knowledgeable about the park as you are to be there with me for a bit. I do enjoy meeting fellow TPR members. As soon as that dining option becomes available can you let me know? Or is it something I would need to arrange through guest services? My goal is to really try and enjoy the Halloween event Friday night as it's looking like that may be my only haunted attraction this year due to an insane work schedule this fall. That way I can leisurely hit everything I miss on Saturday, and head out around 5 to catch a plane to Vegas at 8ish. 3 hours should be enough time to get from the park to the airport and checked in without rushing right? I haven't been through SLC in years.

 

Oh! What are temps like in mid fall? I know in Colorado and New Mexico it could run the Gambit of mid 80s and gorgeous to mid 30s and snowing. I will definitely have to keep my eye on the weather as my trip gets closer.

 

Again, thanks for all the information. I am really looking forward to getting out to this park. I have been wanting to go for years now, and all the stars are finally aligning properly.

 

Completely slipped my mind to mention that online reservations are taken on the park's website for the character dining. You can always call guest services and/or the annex at 1.801.451.8000 M-F 9am-5pm for any information, if you want to know now, before all the additional information gets put on the Frightmares Page, which you would expect to be up already.

 

3 Hours should be plenty of time to get from Lagoon to Salt Lake International to make your flight on time.

 

The Temps during October can be from a High in the 80s or even 90s to lows in the 20s and Snow (Lagoon opened in 97' on a Saturday with 1ft of snow on the ground). The last Friday night of Frightmares in 2003 was cancelled (and the Saturday) just after the Park opened for 30 minutes and Roller Coaster didn't come back from the sleet and fog during test Rides. lol While the park opened, I was unable to open my rides and I kept all my operators inside the warm Train Station, until we got the call to close it down. lol

[linearinduction]

For those who may not be aware, Lagoon Opened for it's 130th Season on Saturday. There are a couple of changes around the park and some new paint and upgrades to some Rides.

 

Here's a Complete Run Down of what's New This Year:

 

Cannibal -

Additional theme elements have been added to the walls in the tunnel leading to the Elevator Shaft/Tower. It sort of gives off a Jumanji Hunters Lodge Vibe, at least to me. There is also a "mine cart" on the station platform.

 

The additional bracing/stabilizing Columns in the Inverted Loop have been effective and has resulted in a smoother ride experience transversing the Element.

 

Lagoon added a Large Panel to the back of the Trains that feature a Large Cannibal Logo and Lagoon Logo.

 

Lagoon has added stone to cover the concrete ramps in the station and it all looks great!

 

Many might have wondered why there are Proximity Switches mounted to the Rear Bumper of each Train, and the reason why they are there is going to be really cool, once installed.

 

Spider -

Lagoon disassembled Spider over the off Season and chose a new Charcoal and Red Colorway that looks great!

 

Lagoon has relocated the bar that pulls the Locking Pin on the Trains to just before the First Drop. This means you are free to spin during the first drop and even go down it sideways. The ride now provides an entirely NEW Ride Experience.

 

Most of the Trains, except one or two, now have the New Bogies from ART Engineering GmbH installed and they provide a much better ride experience. The ride sounds different and rides/tracks much better. The trains just feel and ride more solid.

 

Fire Dragon -

Lagoon has returned the "Colossus" sign to the top of the First Loop and it really stands out with it's new dark red color.

 

Lagoon repainted the Chassis on the Green and Blue Trains and added the Lagoon Logo to the Rear Sides of them, similar to what they had from when the Ride was new.

 

Wicked -

The BIG Surprise of the Day came from Wicked, where Lagoon has replaced the Original Bogies with New Bogies from ART Engineering GmbH! Just as the case with Spider, the Ride Tracks much better and is more solid.

 

Unfortunately, the bad Track Segment Joints, courtesy of ZIERER and Stakotra Manufacturing s.r.o., are still very noticeable and rough, even with the New Bogies. If ZIERER had permitted Intermountain Lift to Fabricate the Track, as Lagoon wanted, Wicked would be as smooth as Cannibal. I would really like to see entirely new trains from ART Engineering GmbH with the same lap trays as Cannibal or a replacement of the current lap trays to the Cannibal ones.

 

Pit Row/Cannibal Gift Shop -

Lagoon has done an amazing job re theming the exterior and interior of the old Pit Row Building! The new Cannibal Gift Shop just looks amazing!

 

Lagoon has converted the old South Doors on the Building into a Ticket Window, where you can purchase tickets for Double Thunder Raceway, Catapult, and even Sky Coaster. The Pit Row Sign is now hung over this new ticket window.

 

The Double Thunder Raceway Sign is now Hung on the Old Sky Scraper Arch and looks good.

 

Samurai -

Samurai has received new Restraints/Shoulder Bars.

 

OdySea -

Lagoon repainted the Gondolas on OdySea, and I prefer these repainted Goldolas to their Original Look.

 

I would imagine the Octopus and Tentacles will be repainted next year.

 

Turn of the Century -

TOTC received a new Queue Line and Orientation is great. It should hold more people and hopefully prevent the line from traveling across the Train Crossing on busy days.

 

Pioneer Village -

It appears the PV Bakery is receiving some interior work, and the new paint on the south end of the Bakery looks good.

 

The Barber Shop/Millinery Shop looks fantastic in it's new Dark Teal, but the Ice Cream Shop is just a little too Loud in all of it's Pink. It appeared the Music Hall and Print Shop received New Paint. I would like to personally thank the person who decided to paint my ancestor's home, the Gingerbread House, an appropriate and well suited color scheme of light blue and brown with white trim. It looks magnificent and I'm so happy too see that atrocious color scheme of dark metallic blue, dark metallic red, and metallic gold/green gone!

 

Other Opening Day Notes -

 

The Only Rides unavailable for Opening Day were Samurai, Air Race, and Moonraker.

 

Anyone who plans on Visiting Lagoon this year, Costco has the best price for Single Day Passports at $45.99, which is 20% Off.

 

Now, some photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RyanTPM]

^Thanks for the pictures, nice to hear about some of the improvements that they've made over winter

[Guy T. Koepp]

This is a really great park. I had the pleasure of spending a few days there last October. Awesome rides, great surroundings, very efficient operations and pleasant employees. If you have the chance to hang with some of the coaster club locals, take the opportunity. They know the park very well, and some are quite knowledgeable about it's history. Which is cool as well. I had an excellent time at their Halloween event and recommend it highly if you have the chance.

[jray21]

Great update and pictures. It's nice to get a rundown on what improvements they made in the off-season.

[linearinduction]

This is a really great park. I had the pleasure of spending a few days there last October. Awesome rides, great surroundings, very efficient operations and pleasant employees. If you have the chance to hang with some of the coaster club locals, take the opportunity. They know the park very well, and some are quite knowledgeable about it's history. Which is cool as well. I had an excellent time at their Halloween event and recommend it highly if you have the chance.

And if anyone has the opportunity to meet Guy in person, do it!

[Guy T. Koepp]

You are too kind Sid.

[linearinduction]

You are too kind Sid.

I've never claimed to be nice, just honest!

[Paradox]

I'd love to see pictures of the new things on Cannibal, specifically the trains and the new stabilizing beams.

[linearinduction]

I'd love to see pictures of the new things on Cannibal, specifically the trains and the new stabilizing beams.

I'm going through all my photos of Cannibal from last year to point out all of the new Stabilizing Columns. From memory, Lagoon did a LOT of work welding in new Columns and stuff. It appears they even welded in new connections into the Columns that go through the Waterfalls. I'll try to get a photo of the Trains and the new back panel with the Logo on Saturday, along with more pics.

[RCF]

I'd love to see pictures of the new things on Cannibal, specifically the trains and the new stabilizing beams.

I'm going through all my photos of Cannibal from last year to point out all of the new Stabilizing Columns. From memory, Lagoon did a LOT of work welding in new Columns and stuff. It appears they even welded in new connections into the Columns that go through the Waterfalls. I'll try to get a photo of the Trains and the new back panel with the Logo on Saturday, along with more pics.

Don't forget the worksite for the new walk-in freezer! It's VERY compelling work.

[linearinduction]

I'd love to see pictures of the new things on Cannibal, specifically the trains and the new stabilizing beams.

I'm going through all my photos of Cannibal from last year to point out all of the new Stabilizing Columns. From memory, Lagoon did a LOT of work welding in new Columns and stuff. It appears they even welded in new connections into the Columns that go through the Waterfalls. I'll try to get a photo of the Trains and the new back panel with the Logo on Saturday, along with more pics.

Don't forget the worksite for the new walk-in freezer! It's VERY compelling work.

Absolutely! lol

[DoinItForTheFame]

Here's a Complete Run Down of what's New This Year:

 

Thanks for the run down of what's new this year! It's nice to see that the park is paying so much attention to the details of the attractions!

[Utah Coaster Rider]

Thanks for a run down of all the off season work.

 

Lagoon has done some great things this year. Including but not limited to (these are just my favorites)

 

*Colossus sign returning to the top of the loop!

*Spiders new colors, exactly how it should have looked 13 years ago!

*Cannibals gift shop looks nice and is a great use of the building.

 

I'll have to give Spider a ride again now with the new locking position. Even though I am skeptical, because I loved going down the drop backwards.

[thrillseeker4552]

Thanks for the information and pictures! There is a very high chance I'll be visiting again this summer and will finally be able to ride Cannibal. I missed its opening by 6 days last summer! I'll definitely have to give the other rides a try too, especially Spider. Oh, and Samurai. The world needs more awesome top scans.

 

I love this park. It's almost my "home away from home" since I have tons of family in Utah.

[linearinduction]

Thanks for the information and pictures! There is a very high chance I'll be visiting again this summer and will finally be able to ride Cannibal. I missed its opening by 6 days last summer! I'll definitely have to give the other rides a try too, especially Spider. Oh, and Samurai. The world needs more awesome top scans.

 

I love this park. It's almost my "home away from home" since I have tons of family in Utah.

Man, if you think Samurai is awesome now, you should have seen it when it was new. Unfortunately, Lagoon has had to neuter it for maintenance reasons, especially after the gear box failure of 2007.

 

Back in July of 2000, I was one of the first riders on the first public ride cycle, and it was everything I dreamed a Top Scan would be like. Cycle 6, programmed by one of the Rides Managers, was off the hook. Today, as far as I'm aware, Samurai only uses 1 very weak ride cycle, and I haven't even bothered to ride it in several years, since there's no where near the amount of flipping there once was.

 

I'll be taking more pics around the park on Saturday, when LagoonisFun.com has it's next Potluck.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[RCF]

Thanks for the information and pictures! There is a very high chance I'll be visiting again this summer and will finally be able to ride Cannibal. I missed its opening by 6 days last summer! I'll definitely have to give the other rides a try too, especially Spider. Oh, and Samurai. The world needs more awesome top scans.

 

I love this park. It's almost my "home away from home" since I have tons of family in Utah.

Man, if you think Samurai is awesome now, you should have seen it when it was new. Unfortunately, Lagoon has had to neuter it for maintenance reasons, especially after the gear box failure of 2007.

 

Back in July of 2000, I was one of the first riders on the first public ride cycle, and it was everything I dreamed a Top Scan would be like. Cycle 6, programmed by one of the Rides Managers, was off the hook. Today, as far as I'm aware, Samurai only uses 1 very weak ride cycle, and I haven't even bothered to ride it in several years, since there's no where near the amount of flipping there once was.

 

I'll be taking more pics around the park on Saturday, when LagoonisFun.com has it's next Potluck.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Don't be scared to not ride it because of Sid. I have managed to still get some pretty extreme twists out of the ride. It still is a great ride either way.

 

I wonder why both Mondial's in the park had to be dumbed down so much. I know the stories and the reasons, it just seems like they turned into worse investments in the end. Especially since Cliffhanger NEVER flips anymore and is just an extravagant, wet ferris wheel with an extreme ride height.

[linearinduction]

Thanks for the information and pictures! There is a very high chance I'll be visiting again this summer and will finally be able to ride Cannibal. I missed its opening by 6 days last summer! I'll definitely have to give the other rides a try too, especially Spider. Oh, and Samurai. The world needs more awesome top scans.

 

I love this park. It's almost my "home away from home" since I have tons of family in Utah.

Man, if you think Samurai is awesome now, you should have seen it when it was new. Unfortunately, Lagoon has had to neuter it for maintenance reasons, especially after the gear box failure of 2007.

 

Back in July of 2000, I was one of the first riders on the first public ride cycle, and it was everything I dreamed a Top Scan would be like. Cycle 6, programmed by one of the Rides Managers, was off the hook. Today, as far as I'm aware, Samurai only uses 1 very weak ride cycle, and I haven't even bothered to ride it in several years, since there's no where near the amount of flipping there once was.

 

I'll be taking more pics around the park on Saturday, when LagoonisFun.com has it's next Potluck.

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Don't be scared to not ride it because of Sid. I have managed to still get some pretty extreme twists out of the ride. It still is a great ride either way.

 

I wonder why both Mondial's in the park had to be dumbed down so much. I know the stories and the reasons, it just seems like they turned into worse investments in the end. Especially since Cliffhanger NEVER flips anymore and is just an extravagant, wet ferris wheel with an extreme ride height.

I believe he's already been on Samurai. Since you know the reason why they are neutered, why do you ask? lol Cliffhanger has always and will always be primarily a Water Ride.

 

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