TombRaiderFTW

As far as I'm concerned, it was worth every cent last year when I went for the first of (what I hope will be) many times.

I'd personally advise that it come down to whether you value big rides over theming (or vice versa.) If theming's your thing, get yourself on the KD/BGW trip ASAP. With the uncertain status of SEAS, I would not hesitate visiting BGW before the theming maintenance budget takes any more hits than I'm sure it already has. It's really an impeccably themed place with a selection of (in my opinion) above-average coasters throughout the park. The food is delicious and unlike anything you'll find outside of Florida. And Kings Dominion, in my opinion, is always worth a visit--it's the cleanliness and operations and big rides of a Cedar Fair park with the fun, themed areas that you won't find at Kings Island. Great Adventure isn't anything to sneeze at by any means, and it has both theming and big, good rides. El Toro really is worthy of all the hype, and this is coming from someone who's typically bored by out-and-back coaster layouts. And almost all the rest of the coasters are NOT to be ignored, especially the Arrow Mine Train. What food I had there was very good, but it wasn't anything extremely out of the ordinary as far as offerings go. (Compare: I had chicken parmesan and spaghetti at BGW and a taco salad at SFGAdv, albeit a very good taco salad. Of course, I've eaten a grand total of one meal there. I'm sure someone--especially Terp--can better describe the food there.) As far as Hersheypark goes... I don't know. I guess I don't really get that place. I find it pretty vanilla and really don't anticipate ever craving to go back there. The rides are objectively good, but the park as a whole didn't blow me away. Your mileage may vary. I very much like Great Bear and Comet and Fahrenheit and Storm Runner, but I don't think it's worth the 8-hour drive unless I'm already going to be in the area. Again, you might love it--it's all in what you're into. I hear Skyrush is pretty great!

It told him he'd already made a purchase earlier that day, and the cashier promptly escorted him from the premises.

That "accidental" picture of Outlaw Run sounds exactly like Tony playing with enthusiasts' imaginations, which he has been known to do before on many occasions.

Oh my gosh, they're rebuilding Tomb Raider: The Ride at EnterTRAINment Junction. Clocks? Escape? Adventure? All the signs are pointing to it. You heard it here first.

Thanks for the great PTR! Someday, I've got to get out to California. I have to ask: did you not ride GhostRider?

New Jersey's Finest Theme Park. It's a nickname (or maybe a former advertising catchphrase? Not sure) for Six Flags Great Adventure that Terp introduced here.

1. Tomb Raider: The Ride - Kings Island 2. Turtle - Kennywood, back when they were new 3. Bobs - Coney Island in New York 4. Batman and Robin: The Chiller - NJFTP 5. Villain - Geauga Lake

The park may have "classic woodies covered" but we still lack a GCI type wooden roller coaster. I'm not complaining though, I do LOVE all 3 of the woodies at Kings Island, I just wish we had a nice GCI at the park to REALLY draw me. Six Flags St. Louis has a PERFECT example of a quality and diverse wooden coaster lineup, as I've stated on this site before. The Boss. Screamin' Eagle. And last but of course not least..... American Thunder. THAT'S a diverse wooden roller coaster lineup. FTW, resident SFStL fanatic and strong believer that that park is severely underappreciated.

I appreciate the fact that the KI rep acknowledged the rules listed on the website. I want to see what actually happens when people try to use their meal plans at 3:30. For me, it's not hard to imagine the site changing, then being told by a food cashier between 2:30 and 4:30 that the meal deal won't work. Reversing the policy is great if that many people were upset about it, but it would be nice to know that employees know the current rules, too. I'm waiting to see how it works once the season starts.

goodyellowkorn182: The thing is, though: is it actually "crystal clear?" Yes, it's spelled out on the park's website, but honestly, if it weren't for this site, how many would actually think to re-check the rules of the dining plan before taking a trip to the park? The new rules don't ruin my day by any means, but I find it somewhat annoying that something that already seems hit-and-miss in execution is going to add designated times for you to eat. In theory, yeah, that's hardly a big change. If you wanted to, you could even eat two hours apart, which is closer than the final iteration of the plan let you do last year. It's more the fact that another layer of complexity has been added onto something that seemed to have struggles already. If the past is precedent, there won't be signage in the park, nor will there be indication (apart from an unceremonious text change in the website) to anyone who's purchased it already that the rules have changed. If past is precedent, food employees may or may not know about the change. Cue angry passholders and exasperated managers attempting to apologize for non-communicated changes. (I could write a book about trying to use an all-day dining plan at Carowinds last year.) I come across way more passionate in this thread about this than I intended to, haha. My feathers aren't ruffled by this. It just feels like more of Cedar Fair's "get a discount when the planets align appropriately, as long as the employees happen to know what the heck you're talking about"-type deals like the Interpreter quote in your profile mentions. It's a little wearisome, and I dislike it enough that I'm not going to rush out and embrace it this year. I'd love to be wrong. EDIT: Not to mention that the Busch Gardens' one-day meal plans work similarly and successfully: one lunch ticket to use before 4, and one dinner one for after. Except the rules are actually printed on the tickets and don't rely on the cashier having successfully received the message through the grapevine. And the plan doesn't have a history of changing after you've purchased it. It's a well-executed program.

Which is why there's more of a chance of me purchasing one of their all-season dining plans, despite the fact that the park of theirs that I'll visit most frequently this year is approximately 6 hours from my house.

I don't mean to be a downer, but does anyone else here find it a little frustrating that the rules of this thing keep changing after people purchase them? I appreciate the park organizing this plan and don't mind that there are rules, but I don't understand why they keep changing after purchase. I was more against than for the idea of getting the dining plan this year simply because I realized I only barely eat at the park enough to justify the price, but the part of me that was still on the fence is, for now, decided against it. I like (and do sincerely want) to support the park, but this doesn't work for me. I'll reconsider if the rules (including any possible revisions throughout the season) are communicated clearly and effectively with, for example, signage. Or at least an email clearly defining any rule changes. Given the level of communication that I experienced throughout the Cedar Fair parks I visited last year concerning both all-day and all-season dining plans, I'm not holding my breath, to be frank.

Thanks for sharing! I always appreciate it when folks share eBay finds like that on here. If the auction wasn't over, I'd have a hard time convincing myself that I don't actually need a 1972 map. On the subject of cool Kings Island stuff that I have to tell myself I don't need, there also are an International Restaurant menu and show guide from 1984 on there. They look pretty neat. Check it out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/International-Restaurant-Menu-Shows-Brochure-Kings-Island-Ohio-1984-/191493466647?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c95e66a17

Automated brakes? Shoot, that guy's been doing it so long, it's practically automatic.

As far as I'm concerned: 1. Rough clientele. I wouldn't want to be there alone. As you've read, Dieseltech, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Ain't no way you could get me in that place for Fright Fest. I and the friend I went to SFA with honestly weren't surprised when we heard fights broke out there last year. 2. Mediocre rides. Wild One didn't even do much for me. For me, if you've been to two or more parks within a two-state radius of SFA, chances are you've already ridden a better version of what they offer there. 3. Poor upkeep of rides. The only time I've visited SFA, all coasters--including the steel ones--had a rattle of some sort. It ranged from poorly maintained GCI-with-PTC's-type jackhammering (Roar) to jostle-y Vekoma SLC train hunting (Mind Eraser) to "Is there a flat spot on the wheel?"-type vibration on Superman: Ride of Steel. And, re:unruly clientele, there was an unsettlingly large dent in the body of one of S:RoS's cars. Hmm... yikes. 4. Across-the-board lack of attention to... well, ANY detail, really. From apathetic ride ops and food service to Western-themed show stages with gladiator shows in them to a frankly miserable layout, the place feels like an afterthought's afterthought. I don't know if previous management had big plans that never came to fruition, but once you (find and) pass under Wild One and the subsequent handful of shops, the place becomes one long path with a constant pattern of ride, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, ride, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. And then it dead-ends into Batwing. And then you get to walk the whole way back. The place just reeks of bad decisions. I've discussed this elsewhere here before, but it seems to me that the folks around the park have caught on to what a "Six Flags day" feels like at the park: my visit on a Saturday in June had almost no lines whatsoever. The only one that did was Joker's Jinx, and that's only because of the incredibly slow operations. I'd say "if I'm in the area, I might stop by," but I really wouldn't.

Journal entry, day 21: The lack of sleep is finally setting in. I thought caffeine would hold it off indefinitely, but no. Every keystroke is matched with two bats of my eyes; I fear that Fred, my new pet unicorn, may actually be an illusion after all. The impending wave of carpal tunnel will undoubtedly mark my final post as the last written communication I shall ever express. Surely my hands can no longer bear motion of any sort again... (I may or may not have gotten a little lazy, haha. I'll try to finish things up and reply to everyone's posts this week. )

^ Really? I think I've only had it at SFOT, but I generally liked Famous Famiglia. It wasn't amazing, but I liked it more than the LaRosa's at KI. But, that's me! I'm also one of those tasteless Voyage people.

^ Yeah, but you probably drove to Canada on the way there. FTW, who doesn't look for quests... Just concise directions on how to get where I'm going.

Of course, now that I've mentioned the Air Race in Orlando, it's being removed: Photo: Fun Spot America's Facebook page. Hopefully Zamperla gives them a good deal on a permanent one. EDIT: I also can't believe that, out of all this discussion of Fun Spots, I forgot to mention that the Kissimmee location also has a Skyline Attractions Strike-U-Up. As far as I know, that's the only one that currently exists in a park. So if you're considering visiting a Fun Spot and want to try a ride you won't find elsewhere, there's that.

According to the website, it's $9. If you like it enough, a wristband (~$40, if you buy online) will pay for itself in 4-5 rides. I liked White Lightning enough to ride it about 3 or 4 times. Your mileage may vary.

I've been to the one in Orlando. I went in November. It's clean and nice, and both White Lightning and Freedom Flyer exceeded my expectations. It, like a lot of what you'll find on International Drive in Orlando or the main road in Pigeon Forge, feels like a side attraction that's riding the popularity of the big places, although Fun Spot is very nice for what it is. White Lightning puts Gwazi (even more) to shame, and the seemingly minimal restraints on Freedom Flyer make that ride (which isn't bad to begin with, for a family coaster) a lot more exciting. They also have a Zamperla Air Race that runs an extremely dizzying cycle. Truthfully, there wasn't much there that appealed to me and/or was possible for me, a non-child who can't do too much spinning, to ride. The nice thing is that it's ticketed instead of pay-one-price, so you can pay for what you want. They do have wristbands, though. For me, it's a fun place to spend a couple hours after Universal closes--and obviously, I'm not the family demographic the Fun Spots are aiming for. The Space Invader ride looks like a fun addition; I'm sure it'll be a hit. Next time I'm down there, I'll have to try the Fun Spot in Kissimmee. I've heard the Flying Scooters are pretty good.

^ That's what it looks like to me. I think the picture is taken in the former 80's store, looking towards Thrill Seekers.

I'd agree with this. I found Intimidator completely forgettable and couldn't begin to correctly describe the number of hills and turns and their proper order if I tried. That being said, I've never found Diamondback or Intimidator to be excessively rattly, apart from the exit from Diamondback's turnaround. I haven't ridden any other B&M hypers with staggered seats. But that's me.

...Wait. I'm pretty sure Intimidator has the staggered trains... After a quick trip to RCDB: See here. (Can't embed images at the moment.)