BavarianBeatle Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Well, I took the boys on their first long vacation this year. We ended up going to five parks and riding fifty coasters. Needless to say they had a ball! We started out at Cedar Point from June 25 through June 28, where I had a seminar for work. It stormed on the way up, but by the time we got to the hotel the rain had stopped and I was able to get some good pictures. I had classes on Friday and Saturday morning, but we got plenty of quality time at the park and went to a movie and the Sandusky Speedway as well. The kids love Maverick And the beach And, of course , MF! On Sunday, we had company for lunch. And enjoyed a beautiful sunset ride on Maverick on Friday.... The downtime on the rides annoyed them (and me)... But we managed to ride all 17 coasters. Yes, all of them...... After that we spent Monday the 29th at Kennywood. Phantom's Revenge was a lot of fun, Thunderbolt was a nice old coaster with single bar restraints, no seatbelts, and no seat dividers. That brought back a lot of memories! But my favorite coaster at Kennywood was Jack Rabbit. I found Kennywood to be a very nice little park and I enjoyed it very much. As you can see, the kids enjoyed the park, but they found it a bit boring after CP. Then I managed to step on my cell phone charger at the hotel and destroy the end that plugs into the phone. Luckily, there was a Verizon store close by.... The kids thought the hotel was haunted and blamed the "ghosts". LOL! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Hey i like your pictures. How was Cedar Point lines for a weekend. Im planning a weekend trip soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BavarianBeatle Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 After Kennywood, we left Pittsburgh for Dorney Park. Once again, the drive was very stormy and the skys looked very threatening, but we got there. But the weather cleared and we got to the park that night and got walk on rides on everything!!! On Tuesday night and Wednesday, we rode all 9 of their coasters, bringing our count to 30.... Yes, Thunderhawk has a trim.... They enjoyed Possessed, especially the end of the ride where it stops at the top. And, I actually got soaked on the log flume! One last picture of the park before the next portion of the trip.... Wyatt and I enjoyed Hydra: The Revenge, but I didn't find it to be terribly intense. We also really enjoyed Steel Force and Talon (IMO, a very nice B&M invert)!! I was surprised I had not heard more about it. I like it better than Raptor (but maybe I'm the only one...LOL) . On Thursday, before leaving Allentown, we spent the day in the waterpark. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Dorney Park. We had a LOT of fun there!!! The crowds were light, the rides were fun, and we got to spend a lot of quality time together!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Ah yes, the days of Coaster before the trim brake and new name. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BavarianBeatle Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Finally, we went to visit my brother for the Fourth of July. Luckily, he lives about 10 minutes from Hershey Park. Once again it stormed on the way, but cleared up as we arrived. Another rainbow! Hershey was crowded, but we managed to ride all eleven coasters, bringing our count to 40. Overrated, IMO.... I loved Wildcat, probably my favorite coaster in the park! Hershey was a very clean and nice looking park! Super Dooper Looper and Great Bear. It was the Fourth, so I couldn't forget to include the flag...... Me, my brother and the kids at the fireworks (not at the park).... The kids love their cousin..... It was really nice to spend time with my brother! He's 12 years younger than I am, and we haven't spent enough time together over the years...... Then came Sunday, July 5, time to drive home. Ourcoaster count was at 40, so we decided to make one more stop on the way home..... Where else? There's no place like home! We rode Flight Deck, AE, The Racer, FoF, Vortex, BLSC, and Runaway Reptor, bringing our count for the trip to 47. Then.... 48! The first coaster I ever rode! 49! Diamondback! And... FIFTY!!!!! A great finish to a great vacation!!! It was a wonderous time that I will never forget!!! And the parks did not get all of our nickels...LOL!!! I will cherish these memories forever!!! Thanks for reading --Michael 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 What a fantastic trip report! A great trip, spent with family! Thanks for posting that! And I love the money shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I love this report and glad you guys got to go to so many parks. Like Interpreter said I like the money shot. I have a brother who lives out of state too and know it is always great getting together and I am glad you included that special moment in your report too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luff Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Great trip report. It looks like you and your boys had a very good time. Its good to have two boys that are big enough to go on the big coasters. I'm still waiting for my six year old to hit a growth spurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast79 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I kept on waiting to comment, very nice report I can't wait until my little beasties get tall enough that I can do something similar to this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan1980 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Thanks for sharing! And what is that other thought I've got running through my head ... oh yeah, envy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StalkerChick Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 What a fantastic trip report! A great trip, spent with family! Thanks for posting that! And I love the money shot! ditto!!! i literally LOL'ed i'm glad you had a great time with the family i totally need to hit up some of these parks sometime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawana Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Thanks for sharing. Short, sweet (for you) and I really enjoyed reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Your trip reports are always very special to read...I am glad that you post them. Your trip sounds incredible...I am so happy that you and your sons share a common passion. I also wanted to say that I like your TTD cloud shot...very nice! ...and we got to spend a lot of quality time together!!! I think this is an understatement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveStroem Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Great PTR. I felt that Steel Phantom had a very weird transition at the top of the 2nd hill. Did you notice it too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BavarianBeatle Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 Thank you all, as always, for your kind replies. It was a wonderful trip and I'm still tired...LOL!! Especially since one of my coworkers put off his vacation for a week so he could cover for me. I'm covering for him this week and paying the price, but it is well worth it. To answer a couple of the questions asked: 1. Cedar Points Crowds on Friday and Sunday were comperable to KI's. We didn't go to the park on Saturday. We saw Transformers, visited my wifes grave, went out to dinner and went to the Sandusky Speedway. 2. I noticed that a couple of the transitions on Phantom's Reverge were a bit unusual, but not uncomfortable in any way. It was my first trip to Kennywood, so I never rode it with the loops, but I figured those transitions were due to the changes made in the ride. There are so many stories from this trip that I left out (like the guy who took his cell phone into the wave pool at Dorney and got it washed out of his hand...LOL!!!). The kids are already talking about going to Kings Dominion (and the new coaster) and Great Adventure for next year's vacation..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailRider Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Awesome trip report and after getting to watch my little girl ride her first rides solo over the weekend I truly understand the joy trips like this can bring. Really enjoyed reading and the pictures, looked like a great time and the boys are growing up fast. On a side note, I must agree with you I like Wildcat at Hershey Park quite a bit as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogrmac Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Great photos! Looks like the 3 of you had an excellent time! I love how you still had to throw in a trip to KI to make the vacation complete. I also had a good giggle at the "money shot." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveStroem Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 Kd was a great park. One other to consider for 2010 is Canada's Wonderland. I was very impressed with this park I think as a park goes I would place it right up there with KI and CP. It too is a CF park so your platinum passes are good there too. I would love to do a 2 week coaster trip instead of these 2-3 day weekend trips we have been doing. We are currently planning a simular trip to yours. Lakemont, Knoebels, Hershey, SFGAdv & Dorney over 4 full days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BavarianBeatle Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 Kd was a great park. One other to consider for 2010 is Canada's Wonderland. I was very impressed with this park I think as a park goes I would place it right up there with KI and CP. It too is a CF park so your platinum passes are good there too. I would love to do a 2 week coaster trip instead of these 2-3 day weekend trips we have been doing. We are currently planning a simular trip to yours. Lakemont, Knoebels, Hershey, SFGAdv & Dorney over 4 full days. The kids have chosen KD for Dominator and the new Giga and Great Adventure for KK, Nitro, and, especially, El Toro (after The Voyage, they really! want to ride it and compare the two)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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