bkroz

They didn't make violent video games, films, or television shows in 1996? And people don't still play Mario Kart in 2012? I'm learning a lot!

Depends what you're looking for. Disneyland? Disney California Adventure? Especially now, I'd take a day at the latter over a day at most any other domestic park. Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland is worth the price of admission in and of itself if you ask me. World of Color, Tower of Terror, California Screamin', Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Soarin' Over California, Radiator Springs Racers... And across the way, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain, Submarine Voyage, Haunted Mansion... Knott's Berry Farm is a legacy Cedar Fair park with terrific history and a sense of rooted identity that many of their other parks feel jumbled about. A few great coasters, but also historic dark rides, authentic shopping, a legendary chicken restaurant, etc. Universal in Hollywood is a fantastic park, too, and the new Transformers ride is absolutely stunning. There's also a Revenge of the Mummy and Jurassic Park: The Ride there and some really awesome simulators, especially if you've never been to the Florida park. If you're into roller coasters and on a budget, your nearest Six Flags will always welcome you with open arms. But is it the best choice? In my experience, rarely... Especially with Disney, Universal, and Knott's competing. Word on the street is that that particular Six Flags park falls farther and farther down in customer service, appearance, cleanliness, clientele, etc. but again, if you want roller coasters and adrenaline, that is definitely the place to go. I've never been myself, so don't take my word or my hearsay for it.

I'm just imagining a family doctor taking the stand and speaking very highly of his patient's character.

Now THAT will be interesting.

That's a shame. Maybe they can send us some? Weekdays in July are different from weekdays in late August or early May. Cedar Point is also a park that's a real destination park. People plan vacations and road trips around Cedar Point whereas Kings Island has a much more local, regional clientele. That's why Cedar Point has a "resort" feel with multiple on-site hotels. People go to the beach for a half day, then Cedar Point for a day and a half or two, then spend time on waterskis or boating... You'll have enough time to finish everything, but yes: it's much different than Kings Island's crowd patterns & wait times.

Expect to wait an hour for Millennium, longer for Maverick, and 30 minutes - 60 minutes for Top Thrill Dragster. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, but you will wait unless you buy Fast Lane (which you won't need, especially with two days). Some days, the line for Mantis backs up due to the ride's loading procedure. Raptor's line is VERY long first thing in the morning and it's a really miserable line to wait in - in the evening, you probably won't wait longer than 15 minutes, so save it for then. A strategy I use when I leave for lunch is to park at Soak City when I come back - easier access for night rides on Millennium, Maverick, and Magnum (all are fantastic night rides, so try to hit them in your two nights there) and easier to get back to the car afterwards. If the Starlight Spectacular is still going on (?) then don't miss it. It's extraordinary. If they still have the Snoopy ice skating show, it's absolutely worth watching, young or old. It's actually a really cool show, and I didn't expect it to be.

Many would recommend the second row on Top Thrill Dragster instead of the first. The stadium-seating still offers great views, but the patriots in front of you get all the bugs and whipping wind. Don't skip Disaster Transport. It's a fun, unique ride that will no longer be there this time next year. maXair and Delirium are the same, but the views offered are completely different. And with such huge capacity, a line spilling onto the midway still doesn't amount to more than 15 minutes so don't skip it. Skyhawk is incredible. You'll be there for plenty of time so don't plan to skip anything. Literally almost every coaster there was the biggest / tallest / fastest of its kind at one time so riding them all as fast as possible can be exhausting and, frankly, awful. Take time to ride the flat rides, family coasters, etc. When time permits, spend a few minutes on the beach. It's not perfect, but it's very lovely and has spectacular views of WindSeeker and Wicked Twister (and yes, ride both). Camp Snoopy is even worth strolling through. Planet Snoopy is entirely relocated from Geauga Lake and done really well. When you're on the brake run of Top Thrill Dragster, you'll probably think, "That was the best coaster I've ever been on." The same can probably be said of Millennium and Maverick (but you MUST ride Maverick in the front row to come off with a positive experience!). Have fun! Explore the nooks and crannies! It's a massive, massive park with much to offer.

No, that's from the many years past when Delirium has been shut down for weeks / months at a time.

But where's the *? It's also not nine letters, if that rumor is true. Very weird though!

So now we just have to decipher @!!$!(*%% ALLSLCIBB? Do I win? Or maybe it's scrambled. BALLBLISC. Okay, not a fan of that... Oh shoot, do I see SLC? I didn't know Vekoma was going to fix Son of Beast? Or if you take the first letter of each sign (e for exclamation point, etc) it's AEEDEPAPP. A DEEP APE. I KID YOU NOT. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST. Son of Beast IS BEING RENAMED A DEEP APE AND REOPENING 2013! ... ... Where am I?

EDIT: You beat me to it! (Got the runaround trying to post a .png image and had to re-save / re-upload it!) And the Facebook post includes an extra hint...

Close your eyes. GYK, who has... And has enjoyed the ride all the more!

Top speed of The Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain? 27 miles per hour. Half the speed of Flight Deck. Few would believe it, though, thanks to the dark! It's a theatrical trick on par with forced perspective.

Folks who can't even find a spot to stake out on a hillside and grow tired of waiting 45 minutes for a 10 second water slide might say it's broken...

In a word, yep. Their Giant rides have pretty good capacity when they work (which is, of course, their selling point to a park the size of Cedar Point where a "regular" frisbee wouldn't cut it) but I've never been on a "Giant" version that's anywhere near as fun as the "regular" version. I enjoy Delirium / maXair tremendously but on a "regular" frisbee, you do NOT get that "This is peaceful and relaxing, and I could take a nap" feel. For Tomb Raider, the lack of thrills was okay because the gondola's purpose was more as a "moving theater' that was later modified to feature a few more thrilling maneuvers. For The Crypt, the ride's inability to perform nimble, acrobatic moves wasn't okay, so the ride was modified again to disastrous results. Kings Dominion's regular sized top spin (while prone to occasional down time) has never had the same problems as Kings Island's.

Scooby Zoom!

Now that inspires confidence!

I wonder if that would still be the opinion today. I mean, in 1979, I could see someone calling Voyage unbearable. And in 1987, people probably called Vortex butter smooth! In other words, I think exactly the opposite of what you suggested - I think people are just now getting used to ultra-smooth, computer-designed creations and intelligent layouts compared to rides of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. No park patron would accept Kings Dominion's Anaconda as a new ride because it's a shaky, head-banging experience with an awkward layout, odd track transitions, and weirdly spaced elements. Our tolerance and expectation for roughness has gone way down, so I imagine that 1979 Beast riders were expecting roughness and were still shocked. I could be wrong.

You'd be lucky (is that the right word?) to see Son of Beast open in a form that even vaguely resembles the ride of 2007, much less the ride of 2000! Outlaw's track is Topper Track, which apparently replaces the top two layers of seven layer wooden track with steel. When the track's been used in renovations like Cyclone's where it's placed in particular "problem areas," the coasters have continued to be known as wood. Outlaw is the first full-sized, from-scratch application of the technology, so we'll probably see much argument over what kind of coaster it constitutes. I agree that it's wood, but the element in question looks virtually identical to a maneuver on Maverick that doesn't "count" as an inversion (at 1:10 and below). Via Theme Park Review. Son of Beast's loop was arguably the smoothest part of the ride and as an element, it worked. If the ride was extensively overhauled with any number of technologies from any number of companies, they might find a way to work a loop back in. I have maintained from day one that if Paramount had been willing to wait for a few years and pay a few more dollars, they could've contracted Intamin right out the gate and built a plug-and-play 200 foot woodie with a loop that would still come out on top of the annual lists. As it is, don't hold your breath.

And if they were put on the ride and did not experience the ride safely, it would be their family suing for allowing them to ride to begin with. You can't win.

I never looked into it. Is it an upcharge, I would assume? But how many people can it carry? When I think "hot air balloon," I think three or four with a pilot. I'm guessing this was different... The videos and article don't shed much light.

And for those who haven't visited Kings Dominion this year, even the path to Grizzly has been de-forested. You must pass through the Jurassic Park style gift shop for Dinosaurs Alive which advertises via a huge sign, Dinosaurs Alive with itty-bitty print beneath saying "And Entrance for Grizzly." You pass through the dinosaur gift shop and take a newly-poured sidewalk out the back of it that leads to a large, round plaza with five paths: one from the shop, one toward Grizzly, one from Grizzly's exit, one toward the dinos, and one out of the dinos. It's a giant concrete plaza completely devoid of trees and ultra confusing.

How many Arrow multi-loopers have you been on? I'm not saying I disagree, I'm just genuinely wondering.

Rattler didn't open that way... EDIT: And for every Rattler or Wild Eagle, there's a Phantom's Revenge or Apollo's Chariot. Explain them statistics!

Depends on the park and the time of year. There are days when you wouldn't want to be in the same county as Kings Dominion and for years, safety was the paramount of paramount concerns. Their metal detectors are ALWAYS on, and ALWAYS very strictly enforced. It draws from inner city Richmond and D.C. which is much different than Louisville or Cincinnati (which is a "better" group to share a park with is very conditional! I can only take so many "SW OH / NE KY kids shouting "Penis" on a roller coaster before I've had enough). Canadian youth, as a whole, is different whether you want to believe it or not. Again, depends on the individuals and area of origin, but it's different. You'll probably find different kinds of teens at Carowinds than you would at Michigan's Adventures or Knott's Berry Farm, and any and all of those fluctuate day in and day out. Amount isn't the issue, even. It's the quality of the youth at any given day that makes a difference. A day for teens with developmental disabilities or the religious festival will probably be a lot quieter than a day with lots of local high school groups.