gad198

^ I believe that Knotts has relaxed their policy on that issue. Early last year the only coaster you couldn't ride with glasses (with straps) was Xcelerator. Apparently that has changed since then, as it is has been reported (within the last two weeks) elsewhere that the only two rides that disallow glasses to be worn are Pony Express and their top spin. It sounds like Knotts has taken notice of some of the complaints and is making adjustments accordingly.

You mentioned that you have Fast Lane so it doesn't sound like you'll truly be pressed for time. The plan of attack really depends on what you want to get out of the park. Do you want to ride everything or just ride the good stuff over and over? If you're going the "ride everything route" I would strongly recommend you simply ignore Behemoth and Leviathan early one of the days and get as much of the lower capacity stuff out of the way immediately. The big B&Ms are major people eaters, but the capacity of most of the other coasters at the park suck. I would start with The Bat, the Fly, Vortex (since you're already there in the area) and then Skyrider in that order. If you can squeeze in Backlot during that run even better. The only other super slow loaders you'd then be left with are Time Warp and Flight Deck (the latter being the more problematic of the two as the GP has finally figured out that Time Warp completely sucks, frequently leaving it with little to no line). Hit up Behemoth and Leviathan between 1 and 5 in the afternoon after the initial rush for both has passed and people are in the waterpark. If you're going the "only ride the good stuff", there are only four coasters there worth the effort IMO: Leviathan, Behemoth, Vortex, and Thunder Run. The flat package there is awesome and I'd take time to experience them all. Make sure you check out their kids area even if you don't plan on riding anything. I think their kids area is actually miles better than Kings Islands which wins the "best kids area" Golden Ticket every year. There are three potato stands around the park called Hot Potato that sell poutine. The fries themselves are quite good, but the brown gravy and cheese curds really set it over the top. It may be my favorite food in any amusement park. Enjoy your trip!

The only real difference between that scenario and reality is that Cedar Fair is keeping the cash, not you. In fairness to Cedar Fair, I do believe they've done a good job of continuing to provide value despite the small price increases. They continue to invest in big new attractions in a tough economic environment. Fast Lane is one area where, for the average patron, they've actually taken value away from the average parkgoer without providing anything additional in return. I would argue that for the price, particularly at the larger Cedar Fair parks, Fast Lane passes are probably the best value in the universe of "pay to shorten the wait" space right now. There is no tie-in with the regular lines (i.e., waits are proportional to the standby line queue wait time) ala Q-Bots at Six Flags or Dollywood. There's no 'one skip per attraction' rules ala Hersheypark, Kennywood and the lower-priced Busch options. There are more rides offered with Fast Lane at the larger parks than are offered on Busch's higher-priced options. I personally plan on using Fast Lane at Canada's Wonderland to marathon the two big B&Ms there, so I'm certainly not above using it personally nor do I have any issues with the system existing. The only point I was trying to make is that standby waits for the more popular coasters in the chain with heavy Fast Lane usage have likely increased since the implementation of Fast Lane. I believe that statement is true. What we don't know is what those newly created Fast Lane funds will be used for. It's unlikely that Cedar Fair is going to use 100% of those funds to fund new capital expenditures in the future, particularly with the debt load they're carrying. That story will likely take a few years to play out and only time and our eyes will tell.

Granted, one trip through the Diamondback line isn't enough to warrant a hard, concrete summation of the Fast Lane system. However, the interesting thing is that I only saw one group of two Fast Lane users get in line for a second go. Really though, whether one group of four marathons the ride ten straight times in an hour or whether forty Fast Lane users get in line one time each in an hour doesn't really matter. It's all about how many Fast Lane rides (not riders) are being taken in relation to the standby rides being taken. An easy way to illustrate what I'm trying to get at is to take a look at two days on opposite ends of the spectrum. On a day where every ride is a walk-on then those with Fast Lane access are riding, relatively speaking to the folks in the standby lines, the exact same amount of times. There's no difference in the number of rides that those with Fast Lane users are capable of and the number of rides those in standby lines are capable of because everyone is waiting the same amount of time. The split could be 50/50 Fast Lane riders to standby riders or even 75/25, but it doesn't matter because there's no wait and everyone can ride the same amount. In this instance, relatively speaking there's no Fast Lane effect on the standby line. A busy day will yield different results. I've said from the beginning that the more rides that Fast Lane users are getting in relation to the standby line riders the longer the standby queues will be on an absolute basis. If I could realistically get 50 rides in using the standby lines and a Fast Lane user could realistically get 60 then I don't care that much. If on a busy Saturday I could only get 10 rides where a Fast Lane user could realistically get 40 then you have the potential for significantly longer standby queues. This scenario is the exact reason why Cedar Fair parks try as best they can to limit the number of Fast Lane users on each train to around 25% each time if they can help it to prevent standby lines from coming to a crawl.

I agree with the info that was above and below this sentence in your post but I just wanted to expound a bit on this item. My experience with Cedar Fair parks this year is that Fast Lane, on an overall basis, isn't dramatically increasing wait times. I haven't seen it heavily used at many of the parks in the chain. I think the issue that's popped up is that most everyone who purchases Fast Lane has the same idea; to use it for access on the most popular rides and view all quick access to all of the other rides as a bonus. I do, however, think that waits in standby lines on the most popular attractions is suffering. I do think the issue is only prevalent on the most popular attractions. The most popular rides at Cedar Point (MF, TTD, Maverick) often have what I would consider substantial Fast Lane waits (15 minute waits or longer) while the other rides typically have little to no wait for Fast Lane users. Kings Island, Canada's Wonderland and Volcano at Kings Dominion have all had this same issue. To illustrate this...I was waiting in the Diamondback line a few weeks ago. They were running a Power Hour so the line was moving quickly. To pass the time I thought I would count the number of people who were using Fast Lane during my time in line. My wait time turned out to be right at 15 minutes. In that 15 minute stretch I counted 82 people who ran through the Fast Lane line. 82!! Assuming trains are dispatched at a one train per 90 second clip that would mean that those folks added (82 / 32 * 90) = 230 seconds or almost four minutes to my wait time in that 15 minute stretch, a 25% increase in wait time. A 25% increase in wait time is something I probably won't notice too much if I'm not paying attention, but it is substantial. Put another way, for every four hours I'm waiting in a standby line with 25% Fast Lane usage I'm waiting an hour more than I would have prior to the existence of Fast Lane. The argument can be made that some of those Fast Lane users would have been in front of you in line anyway. That is true to some degree; however, I think there are two factors that work against that argument: (1) the effect on standby lines with Fast Lane in place is magnified the busier the park is. Busier days will see more people using Fast Lane which means that Fast Lane users will likely get more rides than those in standby lines are capable of getting under the same time constraints. Standby wait times where there is heavy Fast Lane usage MUST increase as a result. (2) the long lines themselves that would normally act as a deterrent isn't an issue for those with Fast Lane access. Many people who use Fast Lane are going to ride the most popular rides simply because their line just went from a half hour without Fast Lane to two minutes with it. I would also argue that most Fast Lane users are concentrating their time at the more popular attractions trying to maximize their value out of the quick access. There's a reason why Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, Diamondback, Leviathan, etc. are getting the most action from Fast Lane guests because the perceived value of quick access is higher on those rides.

Another amusement park ticket deal has arrived. Kings Dominion is the park of choice this go around. It looks like this will run through the weekend. See link for details: http://www.groupon.c...inion?c=all&p=2 **For Discover Card users only**: You can get 15% cashback on this purchase (almost $10 just for this deal alone) and all other Groupons through the ShopDiscover page when you use your Discover card. Log in to your Discover card account, hit "See Retailers", select Groupon from the "Select a Retailer" menu and hit the "Start Shopping" link. Just make sure that you go through these steps before purchasing the Groupon or otherwise they won't credit you with the bonus.

Cedar Fair is starting to realize that they initially underpriced the Fast Lane pass at most of their parks. They have also come around to decentralizing their price structure so that the individual parks have different price points. I never did understand what Cedar Fair was thinking when the price of a Fast Lane pass at Cedar Point was the same as Worlds of Fun at the start of the season. Raising the Fast Lane prices at the bigger parks makes sense for everyone involved. Fewer people will likely be purchasing the passes, which means fewer people in the Fast Lane line which is good for two reasons: (1) fewer people in the Fast Lane lines means speedier standby waits and (2) fewer people in the Fast Lane line means shorter Fast Lane lines for those with the access. If you're in the original posters shoes it's unfortunate but the reality is that, IMO, it's beneficial for all parties.

Magic Mountain is a great park. In fact, if you asked me if I had to spend one and only one day at any park in the country I've already visited I'd probably pick Magic Mountain. My only real knock against Magic Mountain is their (at times) spotty operations, but the variety of coasters and overall quality of those coasters is unmatched anywhere in the US IMO. Add to that the wonderful views and you've got a great place. There are also two In-N-Outs within five miles so it's hard to go wrong. Most people who go to the park will work their way around clockwise starting with X2, then Tatsu, then Apocalypse or Ninja, particularly now that the buzz with Green Lantern has worn off. If you go on Friday then I would recommend going exactly the opposite way and start with stuff at the back. Personally I'd try and get on Green Lantern and Riddlers Revenge (in that order) first as those two coasters generally have the slowest moving lines in that part of the park. Goliath, Scream, Batman and (to a lesser extent) Apocalypse all have pretty fast moving lines so I'd get those as you're going by them. The lines for X2 and Tatsu will generally die down in the last two hours before closing time so I'd pick those up in that timeframe. If you go on Saturday then I would get there early (i.e., be at the front gate a half hour early). Discover card members usually get in a few minutes early (and the line is MUCH shorter to get in) so if you have a Discover card then absolutely take advantage of that line. While you're standing out there take a look at X2 and see if it's running, because if you don't see trains testing early then it probably won't open on time. If that occurs simply skip X2 for the moment, go up the hill to Tatsu and then work your way around to Superman: EFK and Drop of Doom if you're so inclined (as those lines will be SLOW). A quick note about the Riddlers Revenge station. The station queues are at an angle, so for the shortest line stay as far to the left as possible. Have an enjoyable visit!

Agreed about the SP holders. I understand that the pricing is tricky and still a work in progress, but clearly the $30 per person at the start of the season (with a minimum of five person purchase) and $40 per person (minimum of four person perchase) were too low at a park where the demand for the product is much higher than at just about every other seasonal park in the country. I wonder if Cedar Fair executives were surprised by the purchaser demographic. In my experience at the parks with these systems most of the buyers tend to be groups of teens/twenty-somethings or families with one or two kids. I think the first group is particularly noteworthy because Cedar Fair is getting (a ton of) value out of many of the younger groups where they weren't prior to Fast Lane implementation. As an aside, it looks like Kings Island has their Fast Lane passes now starting at $60 for one person and dropping $5 per person until you get down to $45. It looks like it's also an "every day is the same price" situation so there's no Saturday surcharge.

Speaking of Fast Lane, Cedar Point's prices for their version just went up again. $65 for one person and $5 less per person until you get to $50 each for four people. There's no mention of a Saturday upcharge, however, so that may have gone away for the time being. I believe the current rates are what were being charged only on Saturdays before. Several people here mentioned when Fast Lane at CP was first announced that we'll eventually see $75 as the one person rate and it looks like things are heading in that direction. It'll be interesting to see what they do with Halloweekends pricing.

No X-Flight eh? I'd hate to stand in that line with serious heat, but I'm just a little surprised that wasn't mentioned. Viper seems to be a real hit or miss coaster. It's great when running at full speed but if it's not then it's an average coaster at best. Glad to see you got a nice ride in on it!

If I'm riding a new ride for the first time I usually decide by the following: If the ride has parabolic-shaped hills, then it's probably a front-seat ride. There are some exceptions to this (Apollo's Chariot, Raging Bull and El Toro come to mind) but this rule usually holds pretty true to form. If the ride has inversions then it's likely a backseat ride. Maverick and the two wingriders are really the only exceptions I can think of to this (and even then I wouldn't really classify Maverick first and foremost as a "looper"). I'll note that all B&M inverteds are MUCH better in the last row, even after accounting for the visuals you get in the front. Same goes for the B&M dive coasters. Wood tends to be all over the place for me. I generally prefer the back, but GCIs like Prowler and Thunderhead deliver some fantastic air in the front. Shivering Timbers is also a front seat ride. Most others, however, I generally prefer in the back seat.

I'd agree with the others and would recommend SFOG and Dollywood. The other posters have covered the must-rides for each park. I do want to expound on strategy for getting around SFOG on a tight schedule. Get there early, as you'll want to be in the park at least 15 minutes prior to the rope drop. The last few times I've been there they allow you to go all the way up to the train tracks where they'll have the rope drop. They will from time to time open up Georgia Scorcher shortly before the official rope drop so you may be able to get in a ride on that quickly (perhaps the Interpreter can verify if this is still accurate). You'll want to head to Dare Devil Dive immediately after the rope drop as the waits will become unbearable pretty quickly if you're not among the first in the queue. I would go to Monster Mansion next and then Superman: Ultimate Flight for the same reasons (popular rides with lower capacity whose lines will get long quickly and stay long). Just a couple of quick food recommendations in around both Atlanta and Knoxville: Atlanta: Nancy's Pizza (either location, although I think the one in Buckhead is a little better) - I normally shy away from chains while traveling but the food (particularly the pizza and wings) here is quite good. If you go to Half Off Depot you should be able to find certificates to save you a few bucks. They also sell Cake Cafe cakes here so I award them bonus points for that. http://nancysbuckhead.com/ Bagel Meister (about 10 minutes from the park) - this is a really nice breakfast spot. The bagel sandwiches there are the bomb and everything is reasonably priced http://www.thebagelmeister.com/ Big Shanty Smokehouse (Kennesaw) - a nice BBQ spot. Their brisket and their sauce is among the best I've tried. Very good ribs as well. http://bigshantybbq.com/ Pino Gelato (Marietta) - excellent gelatos and sorbettos (particularly their pistachio). http://pinogelato.com/ Knoxville: Puleo's Grille (multiple locations) - my favorite casual dining spot anywhere in the US. Excellent food and reasonable prices. You can't really go wrong here no matter what you order. http://puleosgrille.com/ Cities Cupcake (just west of downtown Knoxville) - the best cupcakes anywhere, period. If their store is open it's the only must-stop place for me in town. I'd call ahead and place your order as that will save you some time when you pick it up. http://citiescupcake.com

^ Excellent post. B&M hypers are made to eat through people and to make the loading and unloading process very easy. I understand that issues pop up with the occasional guest here or there, but if trains are constantly stacking that likely falls on the ride ops shoulders. Some crews this year are really good. Some crews this year have needed some help. I think a lot of it depends on who the team lead is at the time, as there are some leads who are quite vocal in their desire to dispatch trains quickly.

I think the better question is, what is the optimum point at which value for the Fast Lane user and minimizing the effects on non-Fast Lane users meet? Clearly at Cedar Point they're still experimenting to find that point, but it's pretty clear that it wasn't there at the $50 price point. I'm in agreement with Browntggrr, the price should be at least $75 at Cedar Point, particularly on Saturdays. The interesting thing about raising the price is that both sides actually win: there's fewer people likely buying the pass (which will make their experience better via shorter lines) and the non-user will also benefit (with shorter standby line times). I'm actually more interested to see how much Fast Lane prices vary for the smaller parks in the chain. I don't see value in the Worlds of Fun pass at $50, but I see a much larger value at Cedar Point at $55 because you're being offered a whole lot more. I wonder if Cedar Fair may decide to drop Fast Lane passes at their smaller parks at some point.

Some of the Bank-A-Balls at Cedar Point are VERY easy. There's also one there that is very hard (as witnessed by the much bigger prizes at that game). Not all Bank-A-Balls are the same. As far as your question regarding KI's, you can do whatever you want with your arm as long as your elbow doesn't pass the counter. The idea for most of these games is the same; put your elbow as far up the counter as legally allowed, bring your arm down as far as it will go and then throw the ball hard enough so that it hits the board going upwards. If it's going upwards as it should towards the top third of the board you should be good most times. Spin is helpful but not totally necessary if you hit high enough on the board.

I was thinking the same thing when I came to the park this past Tuesday. Getting rid of the metal detectors has made a big difference in restoring some quality to that part of the park and this would be a great next step. If they would ever decide to scrap the International Restaurant space then I would absolutely be in favor of simply tearing down that whole structure. I would rebuild it so that you can upgrade restroom facilities, Guest Relations, and bring the height of the building down more so that you can open up the front gate space to further highlight the entrance to the park.

Funny you should mention that. The last four visits we've made to the park for ERT Maverick has been open once. Ironically enough, that was Opening Day this year, and Millennium Force didn't want to cooperate until the early afternoon! We've actually taken the strategy to hang back a bit, walk towards the ride and wait for the people who ran to the ride to see if they turn around. As soon as we see people coming back the other way we just continue on towards MF. Nice TR by the way!

Negative, not this year anyway. The only time I've had issues at Carowinds was for Intimidator's opening day in 2010, but every other visit (four total) has been without incident. So far this year I've been to the following parks in the chain (in order): Knotts, Carowinds, Worlds of Fun, Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Dorney and Cedar Point. Knotts and Kings Dominion were the only parks at which we've had issues. The Knotts issue was forgivable because it was very early this year. Kings Dominion, on the other hand, has been an issue every single visit. It doesn't matter if I've had a card from previous seasons that I've renewed or obtained a "current" year pass, it has always resulted in a visit to Guest Relations.

I usually check the webcams before coming out to the park. Diamondback seemed to be running all day yesterday until some thunderstorms popped up in the area around 4. After the thunderstorms left, however, Diamondback was no longer running and had all three trains in storage. I've also yet to see any trains running today. It's VERY rare to see a B&M down for more than a few hours so I'm hoping it's nothing serious.

Kings Dominion is in their own universe as far as Platinum passes go. They're the ONLY park in the chain where I've had issues with the passes consistently. Every time we go to that park it's the same routine; present pass for parking, pass denied, shell out the money to park, visit Guest Relations for parking refund and admission tickets (which may or may not have Michigan's Adventure written on the ticket!). I ranted about this a couple of years ago, the Interpreter has mentioned issues with their processes on more than one occasion and yet it's still an issue at this park. Meow.

The SmoQ recommendation is justified IF you get the right items. We tried all the meats (minus the smoked sausage) and their pulled pork is their only standout item (but it is outstanding and perhaps the best in the city). The ribs, despite being advertised as some of the best in the city, really lacked significant flavor and was missing a nice bark from a rub that would have really helped with the flavor and eye appeal. Ditto for the brisket. The sides ranged from really good (sweet potato brulee & cornbread) to mediocre at best (baked beans). The sauces aren't bad but lean a little too middle-of-the-road for my taste. I don't believe that any of their sauces really perked up any of their meats the way a good sauce should. All in all I think that SmoQ is worth a try but I would be hesitant to eat there a bunch because of their higher prices. Try and look for Groupons/Living Socials for them as they become available to save a few bucks. I'd grade it a B+ overall.

Seconded on the Busch Gardens recommendation, particularly with Verbolten now open. You didn't mention if you already have admission tickets. If you don't then I'd strongly recommend the Henrico County Recreation & Parks link below for discount tickets. They sell both KD and Busch Gardens tickets. I've used them before for Busch Gardens tickets and you won't find them cheaper. They're only open during the week during normal business hours but that looks like it'll work well for you: http://www.co.henrico.va.us/rec/theme-park-tickets.html When in Richmond I always stay at the Econo Lodge on Brook Rd. That location is just south of I-295 and usually runs around $60 a night (and even cheaper if you have AAA membership). I've stayed there on five separate visits to that area and have had good stays there each time. It's pretty no-frills but it's one of the nicer Econo Lodges I've stayed in. Regarding KD, just make sure that you hit Volcano first. Other than that, have a great time and post a trip report upon your return!

It's nice to see a topic like this. There are a lot of good restaurants out there close to amusement parks all over the country and I'd love to see what others have experienced in that arena. Having said that, here are a few of the ones we've been lucky enough to head to: Cedar Point (Sandusky) - Chet & Matt's Pizza & El Potrillo Mexican (good burritos) Worlds of Fun (Kansas City) - Oklahoma Joe's BBQ (best barbecue and sauce in the country IMO) & Pot Pie (the restaurant) Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ) - Oliver: A Bistro Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN) - Chandler's Deli & Puleo's Grille Six Flags St. Louis - Gelato Di Riso (try the lemon & blueberry sorbettos); Southtown Pub (good barbecue there); de.lish Cheesecake Bakery & Cafe (lemon cheesecake & quiche) Kings Dominion (Richmond, VA) - Helen's Restaurant; Zeytin's Pizza (pizza only); Roma's Ristorante

If they did take down SOB, how feasible is it to re-purpose that space? I know there's a lot of land down there, but I would think that valley would present some real challenges getting people down in that area.