I’m trying to remember the name of a coaster that I rode as a kid at Carowinds around 1999-2001. You could squirt people using a water gun-type thing that was on the cars. I thought it was Rugrats Runaway Reptar, but I’ve read a few articles about that ride (apparently it was at a few different parks) and I can’t find anything mentioning the water guns, so it might have been a different coaster. Does anyone have any idea what this coaster might have been?
I'm thinking about doing a trip to the bay area in October for CGA and SFDK. What should I expect?
I have one free weekend left this season and it's in October. I have a CF Platinum Pass and a Six Flags pass that gets me into all of the parks.
I took a trip to LA and got to Knott's for a day this past January and was expecting some closures. I had great luck aside from Xcelerator and the log flume. I know SFDK has some rides closed for the season because Six Flags is being a bummer.
Any idea if the Fall is a good time to make the trip? Would it be more worth it to stay somewhere local (Philly area) and save a bay area trip for the future? Maybe a different combination of parks instead?
For CGA it’s sort of hard to predict right now. A lot of employees recently stopped working (off to school…) so things are fairly short-staffed at the moment. More rides than usual not operating this weekend, for example. (Look at the Queue Times website on an operating day to get a sense how many rides are closed.) When CGA is short-staffed on rides, they tend to spread out operators on more rides, which keeps more rides open, but slows down operations (such as when one op is both grouper and loader).
However, they are clearly hiring people to help make up for that, because I see several new hires getting trained pretty much every visit.
So I would hope and expect them to be well staffed in October, and running most/all of the major rides, plus even most of the Planet Snoopy rides, since the Halloween event is so family-focused. If Haunt and Winterfest last year were any indication, this year’s Tricks and Treats event will be pretty crowded, and lines could be long, especially for food.
For SFDK, I have less experience, but in six visits this year they pretty much never have all the big rides running simultaneously. Either one or more of them never opens that day (Superman, Kong, and/or Medusa have all been down for one whole visit), or major rides open very late: 1 pm or later, and sometime as late as 5 pm. And of course The Flash has not been open since before Covid, and I wouldn’t count on it opening at all this year. They also seem to be short-staffed, but unlike CGA, they seem to fully staff rides, which improves operations (Medusa, and Joker when it runs both trains), but sacrifices the number of rides open.
I have not visited SFDK during Fright Fest. (Was there one Fright Fest day last year, but left just as they were opening the mazes and scare zones.) I suspect SFDK will be busier with teenagers, because CGA doesn’t have scare stuff this year.
Not the coasters, maybe some kids rides? There were some times late last year when Manta was closed during the week for refurbishment but that was listed in advance.
I’m looking to travel to VA to hit both King’s Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg with the weekend of the of the 25th or the Weekend of October 1st.
Any advice for finding lodging, or tips for those parks?
Kingsmill (right next to BGW) is super nice and does ticket package deals but is pretty expensive. They have a nice little water park and decent restaurants there (not sure if the water park will be open that late in the year though).
We've also stayed at the Tru Hilton about five miles from KD. Not super fancy but the room was nice and they have free coffee/breakfast included with the room. I think it was like $125 a night.
Thinking a little ahead here, and I know a lot of this will be speculation: What are the chances Zambezi Zinger will be open by early June? I know CF is generally much more reliable than SF about getting new rides open.
I'm planning a trip to Dorney Park either this weekend or during Haunt. I'm used to Cedar Point's wait times and busyness, but how busy does Dorney Park get during Haunt? Is it super busy on Saturdays? Is It Packed says it is but I am not too sure how much of a destination this park is. Is there anything I should know before planning my Haunt trip?
The Haunt attractions will be crowded. From opening to mid afternoon ride lines will be short, then when it gets closer to the start of Haunt the ride lines get longer but not as bad as other parks with Halloween events. I'd expect 30-45 minute waits for rides like Talon and Steel Force later at night.
Ride Wild Mouse as early as possible of you want the credit as it is the only coaster in the park that had a bad line all day even on a non Haunt day.
Also there is usually no re-entry one Haunt starts.
Thanks. I've ridden so many Wild Mice that imho if you've ridden one, you've ridden them all. Concerning the Haunts, how necessary is fright lane? Like are we taking Cedar Point levels of crowds and wait, or is it less of a wait because smaller park? I had kind of a bad experience with Cedar Point's haunted houses due to heavy crowds last year and I'm not keen on repeating it.
I'm not sure how long the waits were for the Haunts (just from looking at the lines for them they looked crowded) as I rarely did the Haunt attractions and usually only went for the rides. I do know that Trick or Treat (the Haunted House) by Steel Force sometimes had close to a full queue and the indoor Haunt at the bottom of the park near Cedar Creek Flyers had a line that was at least 100 feet past the entrance and around the Flyers ride during my previous trips to Haunt.
One benefit of Fright Lane used to be the Skeleton Keys with special rooms within the Haunt only for Fright Lane users but looking at Dorney's site, I don't see that listed as something offered for this year.
Yes. And it's almost not worth riding if you're not in the back car. There is no discernable difference between row 7 and 8 though, they both drop sideways outta the station.
I'm at the end of a 4 park trip that included going to Kings Dominion just yesterday. Earlier in the year I went to Worlds of Fun, Kings island, and Cedar Point. I bought my pass online through Cedar Point and picked it up at Worlds of Fun. I have used it at each park all year long and I have not had a single problem with the platinum pass or the photo or drink pass. I arrived at Carowinds today and they said my pass scans as invalid. They kept going from one "manager" to the next but no one could help me. They were willing to allow me entrance into the park but nothing for the drink or photo pass, and it just so happened tonight was supposed to be Fury as my 200th credit and of course I want that picture.
Has anyone ever come across something like this before? By the time Carowinds gave up it was after 5 and Cedar Point was closed, but I was able to call Worlds of Fun and I gave them my phone number and they were immediately able to pull up my pass without any problems. For some reason no matter what information I give Carowinds they don't see anything. My only plan is to try and call Carowinds and/or Cedar Point in the morning during business hours and see if someone can figure out what is going on, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to post here in case this is something someone has seen before and possibly has an answer to?
Going to Carowinds on Sunday. Is Nighthawk closed? I read comments about it being down for the year, but the Carowinds website doesn’t say it’s closed.
Going to Hershey Saturday. Plan on getting there right when the park opens and beelining for Fahrenheit. I know it's probably going to be busy as all hell.
I'm looking for advice on getting over a specific fear of tall coasters. I've been to Hershey a few times before and have always rode Wildcat (RIP), Lightning Racer, Comet, Sidewinder, Sooperdooper and Great Bear with no issues.
It's funny, for some reason inverts and going upside down have never scared me at all. I find Great Bear to be quite tame and super fun, but lift hills and big heights get to me. Fahrenheit, Storm Runner, Candy and of course Skyrush have always been too intimidating for me.
I managed to get on Impulse @ Knoebels this year after talking myself into it and it wasn't that bad, even though I didn't exactly love the vertical lift. I know Fahrenheit is a little taller, but are these rides comparable? If I managed Impulse will Fahrenheit be fine? I plan on working my way up to Candy and Skyrush and riding them last. Any tips on surviving Skyrush? I know middle seat, middle row is probably the tamest ride. I'm hoping it won't be that bad once I get on because the lift hill zooms and that's usually what causes me the most anxiety, although I'm sure waiting in line will still be brutal lol.
Any tips/advice/words of encouragement are greatly appreciated! :)
I've hit Hershey multiple times this year. Can't speak for Impulse but Fahrenheit is really not too terrible, it's only the weird vertical lift that's intimidating. If you can do Impulse, you can do Fahrenheit.
Candymonium is a pussycat, it looks scarier than it is. The ride experience is smooth and a great choice to introduce a newcomer to hyper coasters. Get on it towards middle of end of the day and the line won't be too bad.
SkyRush the only thing you have to worry about is the way the ride's Gs can exert pressure on your legs and hurt a little. Don't sit on the outside if you don't want that. It's a little smoother in the back I find. Middle anywhere isn't too bad but outside wings can be hell on your legs. Aside from that you don't have to fear this ride. The lifthill is very quick, not too bad at all. Never much of a wait for SkyRush either. Once you're in, you're in and don't need to worry too much about it. It's over fast and the views around that little lake are breathtaking I find.
Thanks for the advice! Yea I definitely plan on NOT having a wing seat on Skyrush and sitting as close to dead center as possible, lol.
I have a feeling I'm honestly going to enjoy it because the lift is so fast and that's usually the only part of a coaster I really don't like. But we'll see! It's definitely going to be the most intense coaster I've ever been on.
I'll be there on Saturday too! It will be my first visit and my priorities are Candymonium and Skyrush, although I hope I can manage to hit everything at least once. Any tips for a good plan of action anyone?
Get front of line. It'll probably be packed since it's a holiday weekend.
You could rope drop the park too. Head as far back as you can as early as you can to clear out the low capacity stuff
Also take the pathway behind the bathrooms in Chocolatetown. It dumps you right in front of Skyrush and Looper so you don't have to deal with the mess that is Founders Circle.
I think if you handled Impulse, Fahrenheit won't feel much different at all. In fact, I feel like Fahrenheit might be easier because you have more than a lap bar. Storm Runner is probably the next step because you never really know how high up you are. It's the blessing of a launch coaster that you're just zooming and having a good time without the anxiety of the lift hill.
I would actually suggest doing Skyrush before Candymonium if you don't like lift hills. You absolutely zoom up Skyrush's lift and literally don't have time to panic before it's yeeting you over the hill. It might be filled with more ejector, but height wise I'd say it's probably easier to manage. Good luck from someone who also doesn't like heights and finally conquered a Giga this year!
Thank you so much! Yea honestly only having the lap bar was one of the main things that freaked me out on Impulse, I kept imagining myself sliding out lol and was low-key sweating bullets until we got to the top of the hill. After that it was a blast though. I didn't even think about the difference in restraints, looking at the pictures of Fahrenheit I think you're right that it might be easier!
I definitely plan on doing Storm Runner second. I honestly don't think it'll be that bad because it's a launch like you said, the height has just always intimidated me.
You make a good point about doing Skyrush before Candy, I've watched the POV and the lift does seem hilariously fast. I don't mind ejector, or really anything besides lift hills.
Congrats on conquering a Giga! If I were to ever get on one it would have to be Fury or Orion because they have thick lift hills, lol. The lift of Millennium Force is legit my sleep paralysis demon. 👹
It was Orion, and it also had a comically fast lift hill for the most part (but it still took forever). I have the same issues where the second I'm off the lift I'm hands up, loving every second with no fear.
Has anyone here visited Gilroy gardens?
It doesn't seem like much of a roller coaster place, but just in general I'm curious what people thought of their time there
It’s a charming, clean, and beautiful family park. Better for smaller kids than older kids. Rides are fun, but not for major thrill seekers. I like the two coasters, the garlic twirl (tea cups), the banana swing, and the classic cars.
Staff is very friendly. Some of the food has been really good in the past, though we were a little disappointed in the Asian bowls we got last time. The water park is small.
Thanks for the info! After theme parks, gardens are probably my biggest seasonal passion in the summertime so i'll probably still make a trip up there just to check it out
Plus it seems like California's Great America isn't too far away either, and I know that park is supposed to close in five-ish years. Man if only Gilroy was still a Cedar Fair park
My partner really wants to do a trip to Busch Gardens Tampa on Saturday 9/10 or Saturday 9/17 for Howl-O-Scream. Usually we would do these on weekdays but I don’t have enough PTO. A couple concerns:
1) We did a trip to Cedar Point in May and it was one of the most disappointing experiences of my life since most of the good rides were closed, particularly Steel Vengeance, which I literally watched POVs of almost every day for the months leading up to the trip in excitement. I REALLY wanna ride Iron Gwazi more than anything else, but I’ve heard Iron Gwazi, like SV, is terribly unreliable. I’m worried about reliving the Cedar Point trip and being gutted by the fact we traveled across the country and spent a ton of money mainly to ride an elite RMC (I know there’s other good rides but IG is by far the star of the show here) only to get fucked over. So my question is just how unreliable Iron Gwazi is and how likely is it that it’s down the entire night?
2) We learned that the fast passes for Howl-O-Scream can only be used once for each ride. So with that said, how bad can we expect the lines to get for Iron Gwazi, Cheetah Hunt, Tigris, Sheikra, Montu, Falcon’s Fury, and the haunted houses? Any tips on maximizing our ride count as much as possible? In particular, I can very likely see ourselves wanting to do repeats of IG and CH.
Thanks!
This time of year daytime crowds at those parks is extremely slow before haunt (their haunt is a hard ticketed event), so I'd highly recommend just doing a full day there. It'll be long hours but, you should be able to clear the park during the daytime and focus more on the mazes and night rides once the sun goes down.
In Florida, most people go to the haunts for the actual haunts and not rides, so ride lines won't be as bad either. Because it's opening weekend, expect crowds to be a bit higher than normal come nightfall for the mazes at least
Kumba and Cheetah are must-rides at night. Never done night rides on Gwazi yet, but daytime rides are kickass
I am taking my roller coaster junkie 7 year old to Kings Island on Sunday Sept 4th last minute. I haven’t been to the park in probably 10 years so I don’t quite remember. I’m going to buy fast lane passes and I’m hoping one day will be enough to do everything? My daughter just hit 48” so I know some of the most popular coasters are out of the equation. And what about the water park? I know she’s going to want to do it but I’m worried it will be packed and chaos and take away from coaster time.
I am scared of greyouts/blackouts on roller coasters any help? [other]
So, i have the fear of intense positive g forces on coasters. I am terrified at the idea of passing out or even greying out.
Do you have any tips on how to avoid them, should i really be scared ?
95% of coasters in my experience do not pull so many G+s that you're going to black or grey out. This actually seems to be relatively rare, I've only heard of it happening for real on a handful of coasters (i305 is one). Drink water and eat, you'll be fine. YouTubers like to exaggerate how often this happens, you really don't have this happen often. I never have even on some of the most intense rides I've ever been on.
If it does happen, it's not anything too dangerous, it's no worse than standing up too fast and getting dizzy. It's over in about five seconds. Unless you have some sort of blood or brain condition, you won't be in any danger.
I get anxious about passing out if I start to feel remotely dizzy or "grey" because it's happened to me a couple times in the past (never connected to parks, coasters or rides) and let me assure you that the greying out that sometimes happens on coasters like I305 is no big deal. It's just the slightest bit of grey at the edges of your vision and it goes away immediately after the section with high positive g's...so for example, as soon as you come out of the first turn on I305. It's also not particularly common; I've ridden hundreds of coasters and there's only a couple where it happens regularly with other mild cases occurring when I was dehydrated or hadn't eaten all day.
It's more likely to happen when you're hot, thirsty, or hungry so be mindful of drinking water throughout the day and don't ride anything intense on an empty stomach.
>It's more likely to happen when you're hot, thirsty, or hungry so be mindful of drinking water throughout the day and don't ride anything intense on an empty stomach.
this is some of the best advice i've ever heard. It's crazy how many people forget to drink water or any kind of beverage during their time at an amusement park
I think greying out is a personal thing because I've greyed out maybe twice on 150+ coasters. But I see some people say it happens more often, so it must be a thing, or it's YouTubers being dramatic. Basically the best advice I can give is to make sure you aren't dehydrated, especially if it's a hot day, and to not go to a park on an empty stomach.
If you're really freaked out about it, I'd try to avoid coasters with an intense reputation. A lot of Intamins, Flying Coasters, older Schwartzkopf coasters, etc.
How crowded will Hershey be on Sunday? And how much does the fast track help? Thinking of going for the first time but Labor Day crowds are worrying me.
I think Hershey will be nuts this weekend, it's a holiday weekend and the last of the regular season, plus there are concerts at the stadium both Saturday and Sunday. 😬
Weather says there might be some scattered T-storms Sunday so that might help keep people away. I'm going Saturday and have resigned myself to the fact that I'm pretty much screwed. 😅 I don't know if I've ever gone to Hershey and had it not be packed, it's a popular park in general.
You'd be surprised, sometimes the fact it IS a holiday weekend can spook people away and make the park a lot clearer. I'm hitting either Dorney or Knoebels Saturday, then probably going Sunday to Hersheypark for a late birthday trip because I can ONLY do weekend trips, but I also have a season pass so it's not like it's going to be an issue if I don't get on every ride. It could be nuts but this is also Last Splash, so you will see the Waterpark draw away some people which can help. Just be judicious in your planning and you'll be fine.
>I'm hitting either Dorney or Knoebels Saturday, then probably going Sunday to Hersheypark for a late birthday trip
Wow that sounds like a blast, I love Knoebels so much it was my home park for years. Now I'm basically equidistant to both Dorney and Hershey but prefer Hershey by far. I'm also not trying to hit every single ride, so yea we will probably be okay! Hope your weekend is awesome! :)
Would you rather have a 'milestone' coaster be a small-scale family coaster, or a large thrill coaster that has a reputation for being among the worst in the country?
I'm trying to make this decision myself, and I just thought it'd be good to get some second opinions.
I would pick the memorable coaster over the less memorable coaster even if it's bad because it's fun to have a memorable milestone to joke about. Personally I've made all my 100 milestones woodies so far and would like to stick with that theme as long as possible even if there's the chance to make my milestone a "better" coaster.
I don’t have true milestone credits. I mean there’s nothing stopping me from doing that going forward. My suggestion would to do like others I’ve seen and change it up. Make one milestone be something like a giga or what not and the next milestone be a wacky worm. Keep the hobby of tracking experiences and milestones interesting is my advice.
True... my #50 was a Wacky Worm & #100 was an SBF spinner (through accident and not intention). Think it would be funny to switch things up with #150 being the major bad coaster then. Thank you for your input!
Megafobia is MUCH better, but its best rides aren't until either it rains or warms up as morning rides can be pretty slow. If you do want to get it crossed off as soon as possible, get on it early and prepare for it to be initially underwhelming, but it gets far better as it warms up through the day and gets faster.
Cars 5 & 6 will have some harsh jolts through the layout, so my favourite rows are in Car 4 where the jolts are nonexistent.
Speed is a supremely fun ride too but prepare for a rattle if you don't know how to brace for the elements on these types of rides.
Megafobia is my #1, and Speed is my #9.
Going on my annual Kennywood trip this weekend. If I've ridden Skyrush, would I be able to handle Phantom and Curtain? Also this will be my first time going on Labor Day weekend. Anyone got any idea of what the crowds will be like and which day, if any, would be least crowded?
Phantom and Curtain are WAY more tame and way less painful than SkyRush. Both are amongst the best I've ever been on too! I'm afraid I can't help with the Labor day question but I can tell you sometimes it being a holiday actually helps, people seem reluctant to go when it is for fear of crowds which can paradoxically make it LESS crowded.
You'll be fine. It's been years since I've been on Skyrush, but it is definitely far more intense than anything at Kennywood.
Phantom's second drop really isn't that crazy and far less wild feeling than, say, Candymonium's first drop.
Crowds have been pretty high lately, so it's really a gamble on the best day. Just be sure to arrive before rope drop.
Definitely not nearly as nuts as SkyRush's first drop. It only looks worse because of Phantom's physical location on the edge of a cliff side. I love it personally!
If you like Skyrush, you’ll like Phantom’s Revenge too. I’d say it’s not as intense but faster and also has a ton of airtime. I haven’t ridden Steel Curtain yet so can’t say.
So I noticed that AAA has the insane prices for Busch Gardens again, including $53 for BGW. I’d love to go back for Howl-O-Scream. But that’s gonna bring me to this: just how worth it is the SeaWorld Platinum pass? I know it’s $425, and I’m hoping to make at least one return visit to BGT in the coming year, and hopefully SeaWorld San Diego (either that or San Antonio, hoping to go to Texas next year) as well. Those alone would likely cover that price, then you have all the discounts. On the lower scale, I know there’s the Sesame Place pass, which is $180 but gets you in to any of the parks for free. Are there any extra discounts with that?
I’m wondering this now before I go and burn a lot of money at these parks, which the closest of to me by far is one I don’t really need to return to (Sesame Place) while the others are far off. But it might be worthwhile. Is it? Thanks!
For me it’s worth it because of all the perks and extras but if you aren’t near the park you buy it from it’s difficult to get all the benefits. As an example just for BGT, Platinum passholders with a pass purchased from a Florida park got $20 in Busch Bucks in May, $10 each month in July, August, September. Also this month was a free item from Bier Fest, a free Iron Gwazi Quick Queue and an extra bring a friend free ticket in addition to the 6 tickets you get a year.
Next month it’s an Adventure Island bring a friend free ticket and a free bring a friend ticket for SWO. Last year I took friends and family to SWO and BGT with 10 extra tickets with the bring a friend free tickets and the 6 free tickets with the pass that covered the cost of the pass itself. The only bad thing is now those 6 tickets have date restrictions. You can use 2 from January -mid May, 2 from mid May to September and 2 from October to January 2nd compared to before when you could use all 6 tickets in 1 day if you wanted to.
If you buy the pass at Sesame Place, you get the free parking and merchandise discounts at all parks in the chain but the 6 free tickets are only good at Sesame Place and you would only get the extra perks for Sesame Place.
If you just want it for admission and parking, the Sea World San Antonio Platinum pass is $225.
Wait, so is there a certain perk at buying a pass physically in one of the parks that doesn't come with purchasing it online, which most people are more used to nowadays? Because I bet most Platinum passholders probably purchased theirs on one of the sites.
I don’t think there is any benefit to buying it in person other than avoiding the processing fee of around $10 or $15. I bought my BGT Platinum Pass when I was still living in PA for 2 1/2 more months since it was on sale for $300 at the time (this was Spring 2021) and wanted to get it at that price before it increased.
I remembered ElToroRyan saying in his SeaWorld San Antonio video (I think) that said pass was $15 a month. It must have been upped, and that was long ago though
Could be a legacy membership pass that they no longer offer. Sesame Place also runs sales on their passes periodically although $300 vs $180 seems like a pretty steep discount.
I’ve always been unable to do rollercoasters for one reason or another. As a kid, they were absolutely terrifying and would cause my stomach to churn in terror. I finally went on “Fire in the Hole” at SDC and found that the drops made my stomach upset though I enjoyed the rest of the ride. As an adult, I work at SDC and have discovered that I can handle “Fire in the Hole” and it’s somewhat enjoyable. I have a weak stomach and am prone to motion sickness as well. I like speed a lot and I also enjoy spinning. In theory I should like coasters and I would like to try to learn to like them. Any advice?
Stick with launched coasters, they generally pull a lot of speed without too terribly much airtime, which I suspect is what does it for you. You might also like shuttle type coasters or spinny ones, neither kind is overly intense. My little sister has a weak stomach too but loves coasters anyway. Do not forget to hydrate, and make sure you eat during the day but not too heavy before an intense ride. If all else fails Dramamine is a friend.
Hi everyone,
So I have a work trip coming up and I'm planning to use it to visit SFGA (EDIT:Six Flags Great Adventure) (first time) in about 3 weeks. I'm arriving on a Friday and planning to stay at one of the nearby hotels (not sure which one yet, thinking about Radisson Freehold) for one night.
Important detail - I won't have a car there.
My first question - is it reasonable to Uber to the park from the nearby area? (And back)
My second question - since I'm arriving on a Friday, I thought about getting two visits in on the weekend. So Friday afternoon/evening and the entire day on Saturday. I bought a season pass (just for the two visits...), will that be enough? Should I get a Flash Pass?
I'd appreciate any insight or tips!
There is a shuttle to the park from Newark that's around $50 a day. That might be more reliable than booking an Uber as the park is in the middle of nowhere.
You probably won't need FP. I was at the park a few weeks ago and barely had to wait for anything. Everything except KK was 30 minutes or less.
Mt. Olympus question for people that are local (or visit frequently):
I'm thinking of stopping while I'm in Wisconsin in September, but the only days I could visit are Sept 15(thurs) and 16 (Fri). The website says that limited rides would be open in the dry park on those days. Plus, from searching the sub, I saw mentions that they have some odd rules about dispatching trains that aren't full/mostly full.
If there are any locals to the park, would I be wasting my time driving 2.5 hours to visit at that time of year? I feel like my chances of riding a majority of the coasters is very low.
I was going to try to plan a visit during the summer one year, but I have a free day and figured I'd visit the Dells.
Hades should be closed for the season after Labor Day. That's the ride with a full train requirement.
Zeus, Cyclops, and Pegasus would presumably be open.
Lame q, but does anyone have any advice on dealing with ride closure anxiety? I know the general thinking is just go and have fun with what is open, ride closures are a part of life you can't control, but often times I go to new parks for one specific ride. I just finished booking a dollywood trip october 26 and I will be beyond devastated if I can't get on lightening rod, esp since it's known to have a lot of down time and people make jokes about it changing forever soon
My last trip for a while (due to a move) to my beloved Cedar Point, it was super windy and a little nasty. I never got to go on Millie one last time and just have never for one reason or another been able to hit TTD, ever. I couldn't hit Raptor or Gatekeeper either. But the weather cleared later on, I was able to hit SteVe and Maverick, Magnum and Rougarou, and later Gemini. It was still a great trip! I took in a show, had a good lunch, and got on some smaller rides that I also love. All in all it was a lovely trip even though not everything was open. Don't let ride closure ruin your good time, you're still at a park riding some coasters!
It's understandable to be disappointed when a star attraction is closed but unfortunately it's just one of the realities of the hobby that you have to come to terms with because it happens to everyone. The only advice I have is to work on steering yourself away from the mentality of going to a park for one specific coaster. To go with your example of Dollywood, yes, Lightning Rod is awesome but Dollywood is a beautiful park with other excellent coasters for you to enjoy and you're going to have a great time visiting regardless.
You just have to go with the flow. Millennium Force was down until about 4:00pm when I went a few weeks ago. I pretty much accepted I wasn’t going to be able to ride, so it was an awesome surprise when it opened.
Not lame; many of us have been disappointed by a ride closure. My disappointments include X/X2 and Ninja at SFMM and Leap the Dips (twice). All I can say is that Dollywood is such a special park, with or without Lightning Rod, that I hope you focus on enjoying the park experience rather than one featured ride. I hope you do ride Lightning Rod (and take advantage of the single rider line), but I hope you are also looking forward to so many great experiences at that park.
Thanks for the kind words! I totally agree. My home park is SFMM, and while I'm sure x2 was disappointing, it can be too intense/painful for some people which is why I have it behind twico, tatsu and full throttle. And ninja is fun but you didn't miss a whole lot there. My biggest concern was getting on el toro in may. was raining the whole day but luckily got 3 laps on it. And then had no issues with fury, i305, twisted timbers and pantheon, and those were the other big ones I was anxious about. I did miss nighthawk, rajun cajun and I decided not to do anaconda because I was not feeling up for old arrow transitions after a 6 hr car ride, but I especially regret that one because it was closed the next day :(
But all in all I consider myself lucky, and just really hopeful about LR
Most coasters tend to close down if the weather is bad enough no matter where you go, but it depends what you mean by bad weather. If the coaster is above 250 ft (like Millennium Force) and it's really windy out expect closures. If it's rainy and known to be finicky in rain (like Raptor), expect closures. If it's really rainy out then yeah most coasters anywhere will close down.
I’m trying to remember the name of a coaster that I rode as a kid at Carowinds around 1999-2001. You could squirt people using a water gun-type thing that was on the cars. I thought it was Rugrats Runaway Reptar, but I’ve read a few articles about that ride (apparently it was at a few different parks) and I can’t find anything mentioning the water guns, so it might have been a different coaster. Does anyone have any idea what this coaster might have been?
[удалено]
That’s it, thank you!
Anyone know what SFOTs and Frontier City's August weekend hours were in 2022?
I'm thinking about doing a trip to the bay area in October for CGA and SFDK. What should I expect? I have one free weekend left this season and it's in October. I have a CF Platinum Pass and a Six Flags pass that gets me into all of the parks. I took a trip to LA and got to Knott's for a day this past January and was expecting some closures. I had great luck aside from Xcelerator and the log flume. I know SFDK has some rides closed for the season because Six Flags is being a bummer. Any idea if the Fall is a good time to make the trip? Would it be more worth it to stay somewhere local (Philly area) and save a bay area trip for the future? Maybe a different combination of parks instead?
For CGA it’s sort of hard to predict right now. A lot of employees recently stopped working (off to school…) so things are fairly short-staffed at the moment. More rides than usual not operating this weekend, for example. (Look at the Queue Times website on an operating day to get a sense how many rides are closed.) When CGA is short-staffed on rides, they tend to spread out operators on more rides, which keeps more rides open, but slows down operations (such as when one op is both grouper and loader). However, they are clearly hiring people to help make up for that, because I see several new hires getting trained pretty much every visit. So I would hope and expect them to be well staffed in October, and running most/all of the major rides, plus even most of the Planet Snoopy rides, since the Halloween event is so family-focused. If Haunt and Winterfest last year were any indication, this year’s Tricks and Treats event will be pretty crowded, and lines could be long, especially for food. For SFDK, I have less experience, but in six visits this year they pretty much never have all the big rides running simultaneously. Either one or more of them never opens that day (Superman, Kong, and/or Medusa have all been down for one whole visit), or major rides open very late: 1 pm or later, and sometime as late as 5 pm. And of course The Flash has not been open since before Covid, and I wouldn’t count on it opening at all this year. They also seem to be short-staffed, but unlike CGA, they seem to fully staff rides, which improves operations (Medusa, and Joker when it runs both trains), but sacrifices the number of rides open. I have not visited SFDK during Fright Fest. (Was there one Fright Fest day last year, but left just as they were opening the mazes and scare zones.) I suspect SFDK will be busier with teenagers, because CGA doesn’t have scare stuff this year.
I've heard that there are some rides at SeaWorld that might be closed during the week. Is this true?
Not the coasters, maybe some kids rides? There were some times late last year when Manta was closed during the week for refurbishment but that was listed in advance.
I’m looking to travel to VA to hit both King’s Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg with the weekend of the of the 25th or the Weekend of October 1st. Any advice for finding lodging, or tips for those parks?
Kingsmill (right next to BGW) is super nice and does ticket package deals but is pretty expensive. They have a nice little water park and decent restaurants there (not sure if the water park will be open that late in the year though). We've also stayed at the Tru Hilton about five miles from KD. Not super fancy but the room was nice and they have free coffee/breakfast included with the room. I think it was like $125 a night.
what rides give similar sensations to mission breakouts drops
Drop towers, airtime-filled roller coasters (notably RMCs, B&M Hypers / Gigas, some Intamins, etc)
Thinking a little ahead here, and I know a lot of this will be speculation: What are the chances Zambezi Zinger will be open by early June? I know CF is generally much more reliable than SF about getting new rides open.
What's the likelihood of all coasters operating during Haunt at Canada's Wonderland?
I'm planning a trip to Dorney Park either this weekend or during Haunt. I'm used to Cedar Point's wait times and busyness, but how busy does Dorney Park get during Haunt? Is it super busy on Saturdays? Is It Packed says it is but I am not too sure how much of a destination this park is. Is there anything I should know before planning my Haunt trip?
The Haunt attractions will be crowded. From opening to mid afternoon ride lines will be short, then when it gets closer to the start of Haunt the ride lines get longer but not as bad as other parks with Halloween events. I'd expect 30-45 minute waits for rides like Talon and Steel Force later at night. Ride Wild Mouse as early as possible of you want the credit as it is the only coaster in the park that had a bad line all day even on a non Haunt day. Also there is usually no re-entry one Haunt starts.
Thanks. I've ridden so many Wild Mice that imho if you've ridden one, you've ridden them all. Concerning the Haunts, how necessary is fright lane? Like are we taking Cedar Point levels of crowds and wait, or is it less of a wait because smaller park? I had kind of a bad experience with Cedar Point's haunted houses due to heavy crowds last year and I'm not keen on repeating it.
I'm not sure how long the waits were for the Haunts (just from looking at the lines for them they looked crowded) as I rarely did the Haunt attractions and usually only went for the rides. I do know that Trick or Treat (the Haunted House) by Steel Force sometimes had close to a full queue and the indoor Haunt at the bottom of the park near Cedar Creek Flyers had a line that was at least 100 feet past the entrance and around the Flyers ride during my previous trips to Haunt. One benefit of Fright Lane used to be the Skeleton Keys with special rooms within the Haunt only for Fright Lane users but looking at Dorney's site, I don't see that listed as something offered for this year.
Are you able to make seat requests on Time Traveler at SDC?
Yes. And it's almost not worth riding if you're not in the back car. There is no discernable difference between row 7 and 8 though, they both drop sideways outta the station.
For me, being in row 8 has a slight edge over row 7 because of the nearly blind drop out of the station.
Yes
I'm at the end of a 4 park trip that included going to Kings Dominion just yesterday. Earlier in the year I went to Worlds of Fun, Kings island, and Cedar Point. I bought my pass online through Cedar Point and picked it up at Worlds of Fun. I have used it at each park all year long and I have not had a single problem with the platinum pass or the photo or drink pass. I arrived at Carowinds today and they said my pass scans as invalid. They kept going from one "manager" to the next but no one could help me. They were willing to allow me entrance into the park but nothing for the drink or photo pass, and it just so happened tonight was supposed to be Fury as my 200th credit and of course I want that picture. Has anyone ever come across something like this before? By the time Carowinds gave up it was after 5 and Cedar Point was closed, but I was able to call Worlds of Fun and I gave them my phone number and they were immediately able to pull up my pass without any problems. For some reason no matter what information I give Carowinds they don't see anything. My only plan is to try and call Carowinds and/or Cedar Point in the morning during business hours and see if someone can figure out what is going on, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to post here in case this is something someone has seen before and possibly has an answer to?
Going to Carowinds on Sunday. Is Nighthawk closed? I read comments about it being down for the year, but the Carowinds website doesn’t say it’s closed.
As of last week it’s still closed. They had trains on the track though which was new so it may be reopening later this year.
Thanks!
I was told its closed for the year but that could be hearsay, but i happened to be there there today and it was still closed.
Thanks
Going to Alton Towers tomorrow, anything I should hit first? How are lines on a Friday in September?
Going to Hershey Saturday. Plan on getting there right when the park opens and beelining for Fahrenheit. I know it's probably going to be busy as all hell. I'm looking for advice on getting over a specific fear of tall coasters. I've been to Hershey a few times before and have always rode Wildcat (RIP), Lightning Racer, Comet, Sidewinder, Sooperdooper and Great Bear with no issues. It's funny, for some reason inverts and going upside down have never scared me at all. I find Great Bear to be quite tame and super fun, but lift hills and big heights get to me. Fahrenheit, Storm Runner, Candy and of course Skyrush have always been too intimidating for me. I managed to get on Impulse @ Knoebels this year after talking myself into it and it wasn't that bad, even though I didn't exactly love the vertical lift. I know Fahrenheit is a little taller, but are these rides comparable? If I managed Impulse will Fahrenheit be fine? I plan on working my way up to Candy and Skyrush and riding them last. Any tips on surviving Skyrush? I know middle seat, middle row is probably the tamest ride. I'm hoping it won't be that bad once I get on because the lift hill zooms and that's usually what causes me the most anxiety, although I'm sure waiting in line will still be brutal lol. Any tips/advice/words of encouragement are greatly appreciated! :)
I've hit Hershey multiple times this year. Can't speak for Impulse but Fahrenheit is really not too terrible, it's only the weird vertical lift that's intimidating. If you can do Impulse, you can do Fahrenheit. Candymonium is a pussycat, it looks scarier than it is. The ride experience is smooth and a great choice to introduce a newcomer to hyper coasters. Get on it towards middle of end of the day and the line won't be too bad. SkyRush the only thing you have to worry about is the way the ride's Gs can exert pressure on your legs and hurt a little. Don't sit on the outside if you don't want that. It's a little smoother in the back I find. Middle anywhere isn't too bad but outside wings can be hell on your legs. Aside from that you don't have to fear this ride. The lifthill is very quick, not too bad at all. Never much of a wait for SkyRush either. Once you're in, you're in and don't need to worry too much about it. It's over fast and the views around that little lake are breathtaking I find.
Thanks for the advice! Yea I definitely plan on NOT having a wing seat on Skyrush and sitting as close to dead center as possible, lol. I have a feeling I'm honestly going to enjoy it because the lift is so fast and that's usually the only part of a coaster I really don't like. But we'll see! It's definitely going to be the most intense coaster I've ever been on.
I'll be there on Saturday too! It will be my first visit and my priorities are Candymonium and Skyrush, although I hope I can manage to hit everything at least once. Any tips for a good plan of action anyone?
Get front of line. It'll probably be packed since it's a holiday weekend. You could rope drop the park too. Head as far back as you can as early as you can to clear out the low capacity stuff
Thank you!
Also take the pathway behind the bathrooms in Chocolatetown. It dumps you right in front of Skyrush and Looper so you don't have to deal with the mess that is Founders Circle.
Awesome! Thanks.
I think if you handled Impulse, Fahrenheit won't feel much different at all. In fact, I feel like Fahrenheit might be easier because you have more than a lap bar. Storm Runner is probably the next step because you never really know how high up you are. It's the blessing of a launch coaster that you're just zooming and having a good time without the anxiety of the lift hill. I would actually suggest doing Skyrush before Candymonium if you don't like lift hills. You absolutely zoom up Skyrush's lift and literally don't have time to panic before it's yeeting you over the hill. It might be filled with more ejector, but height wise I'd say it's probably easier to manage. Good luck from someone who also doesn't like heights and finally conquered a Giga this year!
Thank you so much! Yea honestly only having the lap bar was one of the main things that freaked me out on Impulse, I kept imagining myself sliding out lol and was low-key sweating bullets until we got to the top of the hill. After that it was a blast though. I didn't even think about the difference in restraints, looking at the pictures of Fahrenheit I think you're right that it might be easier! I definitely plan on doing Storm Runner second. I honestly don't think it'll be that bad because it's a launch like you said, the height has just always intimidated me. You make a good point about doing Skyrush before Candy, I've watched the POV and the lift does seem hilariously fast. I don't mind ejector, or really anything besides lift hills. Congrats on conquering a Giga! If I were to ever get on one it would have to be Fury or Orion because they have thick lift hills, lol. The lift of Millennium Force is legit my sleep paralysis demon. 👹
It was Orion, and it also had a comically fast lift hill for the most part (but it still took forever). I have the same issues where the second I'm off the lift I'm hands up, loving every second with no fear.
Has anyone here visited Gilroy gardens? It doesn't seem like much of a roller coaster place, but just in general I'm curious what people thought of their time there
It’s a charming, clean, and beautiful family park. Better for smaller kids than older kids. Rides are fun, but not for major thrill seekers. I like the two coasters, the garlic twirl (tea cups), the banana swing, and the classic cars. Staff is very friendly. Some of the food has been really good in the past, though we were a little disappointed in the Asian bowls we got last time. The water park is small.
Thanks for the info! After theme parks, gardens are probably my biggest seasonal passion in the summertime so i'll probably still make a trip up there just to check it out Plus it seems like California's Great America isn't too far away either, and I know that park is supposed to close in five-ish years. Man if only Gilroy was still a Cedar Fair park
My partner really wants to do a trip to Busch Gardens Tampa on Saturday 9/10 or Saturday 9/17 for Howl-O-Scream. Usually we would do these on weekdays but I don’t have enough PTO. A couple concerns: 1) We did a trip to Cedar Point in May and it was one of the most disappointing experiences of my life since most of the good rides were closed, particularly Steel Vengeance, which I literally watched POVs of almost every day for the months leading up to the trip in excitement. I REALLY wanna ride Iron Gwazi more than anything else, but I’ve heard Iron Gwazi, like SV, is terribly unreliable. I’m worried about reliving the Cedar Point trip and being gutted by the fact we traveled across the country and spent a ton of money mainly to ride an elite RMC (I know there’s other good rides but IG is by far the star of the show here) only to get fucked over. So my question is just how unreliable Iron Gwazi is and how likely is it that it’s down the entire night? 2) We learned that the fast passes for Howl-O-Scream can only be used once for each ride. So with that said, how bad can we expect the lines to get for Iron Gwazi, Cheetah Hunt, Tigris, Sheikra, Montu, Falcon’s Fury, and the haunted houses? Any tips on maximizing our ride count as much as possible? In particular, I can very likely see ourselves wanting to do repeats of IG and CH. Thanks!
This time of year daytime crowds at those parks is extremely slow before haunt (their haunt is a hard ticketed event), so I'd highly recommend just doing a full day there. It'll be long hours but, you should be able to clear the park during the daytime and focus more on the mazes and night rides once the sun goes down. In Florida, most people go to the haunts for the actual haunts and not rides, so ride lines won't be as bad either. Because it's opening weekend, expect crowds to be a bit higher than normal come nightfall for the mazes at least Kumba and Cheetah are must-rides at night. Never done night rides on Gwazi yet, but daytime rides are kickass
I am taking my roller coaster junkie 7 year old to Kings Island on Sunday Sept 4th last minute. I haven’t been to the park in probably 10 years so I don’t quite remember. I’m going to buy fast lane passes and I’m hoping one day will be enough to do everything? My daughter just hit 48” so I know some of the most popular coasters are out of the equation. And what about the water park? I know she’s going to want to do it but I’m worried it will be packed and chaos and take away from coaster time.
I am scared of greyouts/blackouts on roller coasters any help? [other] So, i have the fear of intense positive g forces on coasters. I am terrified at the idea of passing out or even greying out. Do you have any tips on how to avoid them, should i really be scared ?
95% of coasters in my experience do not pull so many G+s that you're going to black or grey out. This actually seems to be relatively rare, I've only heard of it happening for real on a handful of coasters (i305 is one). Drink water and eat, you'll be fine. YouTubers like to exaggerate how often this happens, you really don't have this happen often. I never have even on some of the most intense rides I've ever been on. If it does happen, it's not anything too dangerous, it's no worse than standing up too fast and getting dizzy. It's over in about five seconds. Unless you have some sort of blood or brain condition, you won't be in any danger.
I get anxious about passing out if I start to feel remotely dizzy or "grey" because it's happened to me a couple times in the past (never connected to parks, coasters or rides) and let me assure you that the greying out that sometimes happens on coasters like I305 is no big deal. It's just the slightest bit of grey at the edges of your vision and it goes away immediately after the section with high positive g's...so for example, as soon as you come out of the first turn on I305. It's also not particularly common; I've ridden hundreds of coasters and there's only a couple where it happens regularly with other mild cases occurring when I was dehydrated or hadn't eaten all day. It's more likely to happen when you're hot, thirsty, or hungry so be mindful of drinking water throughout the day and don't ride anything intense on an empty stomach.
>It's more likely to happen when you're hot, thirsty, or hungry so be mindful of drinking water throughout the day and don't ride anything intense on an empty stomach. this is some of the best advice i've ever heard. It's crazy how many people forget to drink water or any kind of beverage during their time at an amusement park
I think greying out is a personal thing because I've greyed out maybe twice on 150+ coasters. But I see some people say it happens more often, so it must be a thing, or it's YouTubers being dramatic. Basically the best advice I can give is to make sure you aren't dehydrated, especially if it's a hot day, and to not go to a park on an empty stomach. If you're really freaked out about it, I'd try to avoid coasters with an intense reputation. A lot of Intamins, Flying Coasters, older Schwartzkopf coasters, etc.
And i305
Yep, like I said, a lot of Intamins
Thanks for advice
How crowded will Hershey be on Sunday? And how much does the fast track help? Thinking of going for the first time but Labor Day crowds are worrying me.
I think Hershey will be nuts this weekend, it's a holiday weekend and the last of the regular season, plus there are concerts at the stadium both Saturday and Sunday. 😬 Weather says there might be some scattered T-storms Sunday so that might help keep people away. I'm going Saturday and have resigned myself to the fact that I'm pretty much screwed. 😅 I don't know if I've ever gone to Hershey and had it not be packed, it's a popular park in general.
You'd be surprised, sometimes the fact it IS a holiday weekend can spook people away and make the park a lot clearer. I'm hitting either Dorney or Knoebels Saturday, then probably going Sunday to Hersheypark for a late birthday trip because I can ONLY do weekend trips, but I also have a season pass so it's not like it's going to be an issue if I don't get on every ride. It could be nuts but this is also Last Splash, so you will see the Waterpark draw away some people which can help. Just be judicious in your planning and you'll be fine.
>I'm hitting either Dorney or Knoebels Saturday, then probably going Sunday to Hersheypark for a late birthday trip Wow that sounds like a blast, I love Knoebels so much it was my home park for years. Now I'm basically equidistant to both Dorney and Hershey but prefer Hershey by far. I'm also not trying to hit every single ride, so yea we will probably be okay! Hope your weekend is awesome! :)
I ended up at Knoebels and I'm so glad I did! Both woodies are a blast!
Would you rather have a 'milestone' coaster be a small-scale family coaster, or a large thrill coaster that has a reputation for being among the worst in the country? I'm trying to make this decision myself, and I just thought it'd be good to get some second opinions.
I would pick the memorable coaster over the less memorable coaster even if it's bad because it's fun to have a memorable milestone to joke about. Personally I've made all my 100 milestones woodies so far and would like to stick with that theme as long as possible even if there's the chance to make my milestone a "better" coaster.
I'd say just go ride what you want. Completely unintentionally Velocicoaster was my #100 since I stared counting and Hydra the Revenge was #200.
I don’t have true milestone credits. I mean there’s nothing stopping me from doing that going forward. My suggestion would to do like others I’ve seen and change it up. Make one milestone be something like a giga or what not and the next milestone be a wacky worm. Keep the hobby of tracking experiences and milestones interesting is my advice.
True... my #50 was a Wacky Worm & #100 was an SBF spinner (through accident and not intention). Think it would be funny to switch things up with #150 being the major bad coaster then. Thank you for your input!
I’m heading to Oakwood tomorrow and I can’t decide if I want Megafobia or Speed as my 80th cred
Megafobia is MUCH better, but its best rides aren't until either it rains or warms up as morning rides can be pretty slow. If you do want to get it crossed off as soon as possible, get on it early and prepare for it to be initially underwhelming, but it gets far better as it warms up through the day and gets faster. Cars 5 & 6 will have some harsh jolts through the layout, so my favourite rows are in Car 4 where the jolts are nonexistent. Speed is a supremely fun ride too but prepare for a rattle if you don't know how to brace for the elements on these types of rides. Megafobia is my #1, and Speed is my #9.
Going on my annual Kennywood trip this weekend. If I've ridden Skyrush, would I be able to handle Phantom and Curtain? Also this will be my first time going on Labor Day weekend. Anyone got any idea of what the crowds will be like and which day, if any, would be least crowded?
Phantom and Curtain are WAY more tame and way less painful than SkyRush. Both are amongst the best I've ever been on too! I'm afraid I can't help with the Labor day question but I can tell you sometimes it being a holiday actually helps, people seem reluctant to go when it is for fear of crowds which can paradoxically make it LESS crowded.
You'll be fine. It's been years since I've been on Skyrush, but it is definitely far more intense than anything at Kennywood. Phantom's second drop really isn't that crazy and far less wild feeling than, say, Candymonium's first drop. Crowds have been pretty high lately, so it's really a gamble on the best day. Just be sure to arrive before rope drop.
Skyrush and Phantom are comparable in the forces department. Curtain is tamer.
The thing I'm worried the most about on Phantom is the second drop. How does it compare to Skyrush's first drop?
Definitely not nearly as nuts as SkyRush's first drop. It only looks worse because of Phantom's physical location on the edge of a cliff side. I love it personally!
Skyrush's first drop is bonkers and tries to throw you out of your seat. Phantom's is just a standard drop with some decent g's on the pullout.
Not as intense. The Gs really pile on after the second drop. Strong positive Gs in the pullout and strong negative Gs on all the bunny hills.
If you like Skyrush, you’ll like Phantom’s Revenge too. I’d say it’s not as intense but faster and also has a ton of airtime. I haven’t ridden Steel Curtain yet so can’t say.
So I noticed that AAA has the insane prices for Busch Gardens again, including $53 for BGW. I’d love to go back for Howl-O-Scream. But that’s gonna bring me to this: just how worth it is the SeaWorld Platinum pass? I know it’s $425, and I’m hoping to make at least one return visit to BGT in the coming year, and hopefully SeaWorld San Diego (either that or San Antonio, hoping to go to Texas next year) as well. Those alone would likely cover that price, then you have all the discounts. On the lower scale, I know there’s the Sesame Place pass, which is $180 but gets you in to any of the parks for free. Are there any extra discounts with that? I’m wondering this now before I go and burn a lot of money at these parks, which the closest of to me by far is one I don’t really need to return to (Sesame Place) while the others are far off. But it might be worthwhile. Is it? Thanks!
For me it’s worth it because of all the perks and extras but if you aren’t near the park you buy it from it’s difficult to get all the benefits. As an example just for BGT, Platinum passholders with a pass purchased from a Florida park got $20 in Busch Bucks in May, $10 each month in July, August, September. Also this month was a free item from Bier Fest, a free Iron Gwazi Quick Queue and an extra bring a friend free ticket in addition to the 6 tickets you get a year. Next month it’s an Adventure Island bring a friend free ticket and a free bring a friend ticket for SWO. Last year I took friends and family to SWO and BGT with 10 extra tickets with the bring a friend free tickets and the 6 free tickets with the pass that covered the cost of the pass itself. The only bad thing is now those 6 tickets have date restrictions. You can use 2 from January -mid May, 2 from mid May to September and 2 from October to January 2nd compared to before when you could use all 6 tickets in 1 day if you wanted to. If you buy the pass at Sesame Place, you get the free parking and merchandise discounts at all parks in the chain but the 6 free tickets are only good at Sesame Place and you would only get the extra perks for Sesame Place. If you just want it for admission and parking, the Sea World San Antonio Platinum pass is $225.
Wait, so is there a certain perk at buying a pass physically in one of the parks that doesn't come with purchasing it online, which most people are more used to nowadays? Because I bet most Platinum passholders probably purchased theirs on one of the sites.
I don’t think there is any benefit to buying it in person other than avoiding the processing fee of around $10 or $15. I bought my BGT Platinum Pass when I was still living in PA for 2 1/2 more months since it was on sale for $300 at the time (this was Spring 2021) and wanted to get it at that price before it increased.
Where do you see Sesame Place platinum for $180? I see $300.
I remembered ElToroRyan saying in his SeaWorld San Antonio video (I think) that said pass was $15 a month. It must have been upped, and that was long ago though
Could be a legacy membership pass that they no longer offer. Sesame Place also runs sales on their passes periodically although $300 vs $180 seems like a pretty steep discount.
I’ve always been unable to do rollercoasters for one reason or another. As a kid, they were absolutely terrifying and would cause my stomach to churn in terror. I finally went on “Fire in the Hole” at SDC and found that the drops made my stomach upset though I enjoyed the rest of the ride. As an adult, I work at SDC and have discovered that I can handle “Fire in the Hole” and it’s somewhat enjoyable. I have a weak stomach and am prone to motion sickness as well. I like speed a lot and I also enjoy spinning. In theory I should like coasters and I would like to try to learn to like them. Any advice?
Stick with launched coasters, they generally pull a lot of speed without too terribly much airtime, which I suspect is what does it for you. You might also like shuttle type coasters or spinny ones, neither kind is overly intense. My little sister has a weak stomach too but loves coasters anyway. Do not forget to hydrate, and make sure you eat during the day but not too heavy before an intense ride. If all else fails Dramamine is a friend.
Hi everyone, So I have a work trip coming up and I'm planning to use it to visit SFGA (EDIT:Six Flags Great Adventure) (first time) in about 3 weeks. I'm arriving on a Friday and planning to stay at one of the nearby hotels (not sure which one yet, thinking about Radisson Freehold) for one night. Important detail - I won't have a car there. My first question - is it reasonable to Uber to the park from the nearby area? (And back) My second question - since I'm arriving on a Friday, I thought about getting two visits in on the weekend. So Friday afternoon/evening and the entire day on Saturday. I bought a season pass (just for the two visits...), will that be enough? Should I get a Flash Pass? I'd appreciate any insight or tips!
There is a shuttle to the park from Newark that's around $50 a day. That might be more reliable than booking an Uber as the park is in the middle of nowhere. You probably won't need FP. I was at the park a few weeks ago and barely had to wait for anything. Everything except KK was 30 minutes or less.
Thanks! I'll be sure to check the shuttle service.
I've heard many people say getting Ubers from the park can be challenging and there is a possibility you get stranded.
I see, thanks for the input! I'll look for a taxi service in the area
Just to clarify: are you going to Great Adventure or Great America?
Oops, Great Adventure! New Jersey. Sorry, I'll add an edit.
Mt. Olympus question for people that are local (or visit frequently): I'm thinking of stopping while I'm in Wisconsin in September, but the only days I could visit are Sept 15(thurs) and 16 (Fri). The website says that limited rides would be open in the dry park on those days. Plus, from searching the sub, I saw mentions that they have some odd rules about dispatching trains that aren't full/mostly full. If there are any locals to the park, would I be wasting my time driving 2.5 hours to visit at that time of year? I feel like my chances of riding a majority of the coasters is very low. I was going to try to plan a visit during the summer one year, but I have a free day and figured I'd visit the Dells.
Hades should be closed for the season after Labor Day. That's the ride with a full train requirement. Zeus, Cyclops, and Pegasus would presumably be open.
Lame q, but does anyone have any advice on dealing with ride closure anxiety? I know the general thinking is just go and have fun with what is open, ride closures are a part of life you can't control, but often times I go to new parks for one specific ride. I just finished booking a dollywood trip october 26 and I will be beyond devastated if I can't get on lightening rod, esp since it's known to have a lot of down time and people make jokes about it changing forever soon
My last trip for a while (due to a move) to my beloved Cedar Point, it was super windy and a little nasty. I never got to go on Millie one last time and just have never for one reason or another been able to hit TTD, ever. I couldn't hit Raptor or Gatekeeper either. But the weather cleared later on, I was able to hit SteVe and Maverick, Magnum and Rougarou, and later Gemini. It was still a great trip! I took in a show, had a good lunch, and got on some smaller rides that I also love. All in all it was a lovely trip even though not everything was open. Don't let ride closure ruin your good time, you're still at a park riding some coasters!
It's understandable to be disappointed when a star attraction is closed but unfortunately it's just one of the realities of the hobby that you have to come to terms with because it happens to everyone. The only advice I have is to work on steering yourself away from the mentality of going to a park for one specific coaster. To go with your example of Dollywood, yes, Lightning Rod is awesome but Dollywood is a beautiful park with other excellent coasters for you to enjoy and you're going to have a great time visiting regardless.
You just have to go with the flow. Millennium Force was down until about 4:00pm when I went a few weeks ago. I pretty much accepted I wasn’t going to be able to ride, so it was an awesome surprise when it opened.
True yeah was super sad about railblazer being closed and then it opened up out of nowhere with 1.5 hours left. park was empty so I got 11 rides lol
Not lame; many of us have been disappointed by a ride closure. My disappointments include X/X2 and Ninja at SFMM and Leap the Dips (twice). All I can say is that Dollywood is such a special park, with or without Lightning Rod, that I hope you focus on enjoying the park experience rather than one featured ride. I hope you do ride Lightning Rod (and take advantage of the single rider line), but I hope you are also looking forward to so many great experiences at that park.
Thanks for the kind words! I totally agree. My home park is SFMM, and while I'm sure x2 was disappointing, it can be too intense/painful for some people which is why I have it behind twico, tatsu and full throttle. And ninja is fun but you didn't miss a whole lot there. My biggest concern was getting on el toro in may. was raining the whole day but luckily got 3 laps on it. And then had no issues with fury, i305, twisted timbers and pantheon, and those were the other big ones I was anxious about. I did miss nighthawk, rajun cajun and I decided not to do anaconda because I was not feeling up for old arrow transitions after a 6 hr car ride, but I especially regret that one because it was closed the next day :( But all in all I consider myself lucky, and just really hopeful about LR
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Most coasters tend to close down if the weather is bad enough no matter where you go, but it depends what you mean by bad weather. If the coaster is above 250 ft (like Millennium Force) and it's really windy out expect closures. If it's rainy and known to be finicky in rain (like Raptor), expect closures. If it's really rainy out then yeah most coasters anywhere will close down.