Theme Park Review

Day 22: Saturday, June 24th - busy morning at Särkänniemi (before a drive to Helsinki).  Part 1 of 2   Starting off bright and early (well. . overcast a little and early, but it never rained). a peek at the outskirts of the park, and the bus we'd been riding in since landing in Finland on that flight. they really did cram quite a bit of stuff in here . . tho honestly, the vast majority of it I didn't care for. but what I loved?  I REALLY loved. the main gates: and the park's landmark tower - it houses a fancy restaurant at the top (can't recall if it spun or not), and in the base, a small, but decent, aquarium/reptile house, as well as gift shop, and I THINK a planetarium?   even in Finland, those *freaking* scooters are just left everywhere. headed into the main park - via a back walkway. . . Similar to the exhibited motor I had seen yesterday, inside the park - albeit in a "backyard" area - was a preserved train.   I didn't want to leave the group to go take a look at it, so not sure why they have it preserved here. VERY cool. . our path in, walks along side and under the park's flume ride, and the Intamin coaster.   here's a good look at Tornado - the Intamin suspended coaster, that I believe is the last of it's kind in the world. \ weirdly, Tornado's station is underground, in a very "industrial" setting. we went in thru the exit, I think, so didn't see the main queue that goes down steps from the top of the hill. but got a pic of the ride sign, as we went into the exit queue. as noted yesterday, bright neon Orange & Yellow trains. why?   I dunno. . but they sure are noticeable. we greatly enjoyed our morning ERT on this ride.   rode it at least 8 times. . and since they were running both trains?  got some pretty zen rides. Steve and I (I believe courtesy of Elissa) Matthew looks like he's enjoying it! quick peek into the operators booth, while taking a break between rides.   Wheeeee!   very Zen in the front row. (pic courtesy of Elissa) I'm flying, Jack!!! after a bunch of rides, I needed to take a break and stepped into the main park (still before open to public) to snap some pics in the area:   the setting of this coaster, really is just perfect for pictures. not sure why it's the last of it's kind, the ride is great!  more parks should have them. perusing the park ahead of us. .it really is quite lovely. tho has a bit of an identity crisis. . . like it's not sure what exactly it wants to be. lovely, but small, carousel. that adults were not allowed to ride.    But I got a pic, so I'm happy. and an interesting game. . where one sits on a toilet. and "pees" into the bathtubs.   I guess? to win Minecraft inspired stuffies. told ya..this park is weird. I did really like how so many kiddie rides are scattered about among the big rides. for example, that Convoy ride, right next to Tornado.   "Boom" (what a name, LOL) is actually the drop tower! the Skyrocket II behind it is called "Hype"   yeah. I dunno, as I said, "Identity Crisis" the park also has this piece of crap pure torture machine:  Trombi - a flying Zamperla Volare. which, by the way, is Finnish for . . . "Tornado" so yeah, they have two coasters named Tornado - one brilliant, and one shitty. oh. . wait. . I should say HAD - RCDB notes it was removed as of late 2023! wasn't quite ready for us tho, so looked around the area while they got it ready to open for us. going for the Gen X crowd? this area has lots of carnival flats - all running pretty decent programs, and all with unique names. other than this Troika. . which was just called "Troika" Turning our attention back to Trombi. .they were getting it ready for us. Even tho it LOOKED like it had been abandoned and was rotting away. but it still wasn't open just yet, so we headed over to the Skyrocket II (Hype) I mean. . I don't MIND the theming, but I don't really "get" it either. I guess as noted, they are going for Gen X?  I reminded me very much of Plopsaland and their "youtube" section of the park.   apparently the restaurant (that wasn't open yet as we were still before park open) is called "Play" perhaps it blasts music during the day? I rode this, I think, exactly once. i'm just not really a fan of this type of coaster (and didn't ride the one the next day at the final park). but others really love them. death glare from Hans and Jon without glasses. . I wonder if they made everyone take off glasses, even with straps? when it was my turn to ride? I actually let out a guffaw when I sat down in the seat and saw this.  And then quickly pulled out my camera to snap a pic (with permission).   I don't think this warning label looks like what they THINK it looks like.   Rode my one time (maybe I rode twice, but I think only once) and then stepped out front to snap pics Proof I rode it. I even look like I'm having fun? (yeah, no glasses. .they must have made folks take them off) Pics courtesy of Elissa I gathered my wits about me, while others in the group rode Hype a few more times. is this a kids area?  there seemed to be more than one. . .but it was nicely detailed over here.   . . . if a bit "freaky" and the pavement a bit psychedelic. . or "Q-bert-y" if you prefer (and are of a certain age to understand that) we got the note that Trombi was ready for us, if anyone wanted to ride. I felt we were basically DARED to ride, as I'd heard so many horrible things about Volares (pst. . all were TRUE!!!!) Pic courtesy of Elissa. OMG. . just look at these faces!!!   HATED it.   hell, I think my back spasm-ed just looking at this pic. I *did* it. . but I don't think I'd do one ever again. . .LOL watching some of the carnival flats cycling. . the park had just opened to the public, and so it were starting to see the first batches of school kids.   I don't think I rode the first batch of folks on Take Off (hence getting this pic), but it did end up with it being almost a full TPR cycle. then over to High Voltage..which was no where near as insane as it looked  - tho it DOES do some weird things to one's body. see? that's me on the upper left I found the park's mascot!!  (well, one of them. .they seemed to have several). and chocolate! yay. and then discovered (thanks to Erik, I believe) my favorite thing in the park: the lake Carousel. it lifts up, tilts, and gives a gentle spinning ride. and is made by Schwarzkopf no.. really! and it's right on the lake, offering some lovely views (hence being called the "Lake Carousel")     see???   Schwarzkopf !   Jon and I   Smisty, Goldballs, and Erik   Me and Big Mike i think we ALL loved this thing. and it offered nice views of the park's theming/landscaping as it turns as well.   to be continued .   with lunch up in the tower and a quick pop into the Aquarium!  

Just checked with the site, and it appears Playland is going to be closed Mondays AND Tuesdays, from Opening Day (18th) through June. Then they'll go to a five day week, Wed-Sundays. And for the current weekends, it'll be mainly a 11am-5pm schedule. Whee.  http://www.pne.ca  

Just looking at the schedule, I'd go Sunday 06/16, Monday 06/17, and Tuesday 06/18. All 10am-10pm operations. If you can swing it, just do FL for all. How often do you get to go to the park? We don't even ride a ton, but when we go to the parks we always buy FL+. We can walk around end enjoy the park instead of waiting in line. If I had to do without it for one day, I'd pick the middle day. Just chill by the pool or something. Beer/cocktails included. FL or bust. Life is too short. (if you can responsibly afford it)

I'm getting pumped for the 2024 season so I can ride Joker in June when the park goes to full operating hours. I also wanted to hype my daughter up to ride the carousel. Carousels are fun rides for the whole family. I can't believe there aren't any recent videos of it. Anyway, I was looking for testing videos for both and I couldn't find any. I must not be searching right. My youtube account kept showing me videos of a roller coaster called All American Tripple Loop at a small regional park called Indiana Beach.

From what I understand A lot of out of states schools are still in the beginning of June. You might get lucky and have less crowds, but must of Ohio schools will be out by the end of May. I would always go around my birthday on 10th of June and it was never crazy busy but the closer you get to July the busier it will get.  The Ride ops issue shouldn't be as bad by June. A lot of it is just over all staffing and they should have more staff and getting reps in. They have a few weekends  and more staff starting after the first week.  The temp in Ohio can be between 40 and 100 degrees. Its Ohio. June can be mid 80 to 90 depending. Pushing it out a few weeks wont change that much. The weather today in Ohio was a high of 60 and yesterday was almost 90.  Fast lane i would budget for one day do all your riding that day then the other two just enjoy the parks and if you want to get it the rest of the trip you always can. I would just try to plan for weekdays if you can.    Just depends on one if you want night rides and two just what works best for you. If your warried about your health might be bust just to go as soon as you can why your feeling great.   

I've always had luck going the first week of full operations. Meaning Mon-Sun 10am-10pm.

Step 1: spray chemicals Step 2: load trains half empty   Result: More wait and more uncomfortable ride. I miss those days.

It bothers me that people think the locker situation was unplanned, regardless of what the park says. They're going to make money off of you however they can do it. It's business. Pay an employee to help with free locker confusion vs. make money on locker rentals.

Wonderland needs some serious competition. I hope within the next few seasons Marineland adds a medium coaster and a few flats/attractions to get the ball rolling. You'd need some aggressively deep pockets to make it successful. I wonder who purchased it.

Rounding out our time at Area 15, we stopped for a quick drink at the Asylum Bar + Arcade... AREA15 Signal Lager is an exclusive Mexican lager from Able Baker Brewing in Las Vegas and it is quite good! John is a friend I've known through TPR for years (he toured us around Las Vegas during our last visit) and it was great to see him at Area 15 this time around! Liftoff Bar & Ride was something I was eager to try at Area 15... Again, the view of those snowy peaks was a treat! Looking to one side of the Area 15 campus expansion we found the future year-round Halloween Horror Nights attraction construction well under way. Looking back at the Rio from Liftoff... The exterior of this hotel is so cool, regardless of when you look at it! We wouldn't be visiting Circus Circus or The Strat this time around... But it was neat to see The Strat and its attractions off in the distance. Spending time at The Mirage was a priority for us during this trip as it will soon become the new Hard Rock in Las Vegas. But first, something new!  The Neon Museum Las Vegas was something we didn't have time to experience during our last visit but was on our must-do list this time around. While the experience is open during the day, I definitely think the appeal of the visit comes from seeing the neon do its thing after dusk. What time is the Bohemian Rhapsody fireworks spectacular? Just need to make sure I'm off of "Nights in White Satin: The Trip" in time to get a good spot! The signage graveyard includes pieces that still work, some that don't and some that don't have any neon left on them... But the collection is incredibly impressive. While the museum grounds aren't huge, there is a lot to see within the space. One of my favorite pieces in the collection. After the Neon Museum we moved over to Resorts World Las Vegas for some New York comfort food at Junior's. Losing Carnegie Deli at The Mirage was a shame but our meal at Junior's took a bit of the sting out.  Speaking of The Mirage... Last time we were in Las Vegas we wanted to see The Beatles LOVE but it was dark for two weeks (leading us to see O instead). This time around, it was a major priority for us, especially with rumors at the time that the show would be closing in the near future. The theater in the round is different from the more traditional seating arrangements of Cirque shows like "O" and La Nouba.  No photos or video are allowed during the show but I can say that it was a great time, and even if you're not an uber-Beatles fan, you'll still appreciate the combination of visual artistry and the band's most famous tunes. I do believe that the show is a little less "stunt" oriented than O or La Nouba, but we really we were glad to have the chance to see it before the end of the line. Shortly after our visit it was announced that The Beatles LOVE would close after a final performance on July 6th, 2024. There's still time to see it, whether for your first or final time--if you can, I definitely recommend checking it out. Don't mind me... I'm just staring at abandoned ride system infrastructure. The next morning I woke up bright and early to Trek for a bit of Lost Vegas. The Westgate Las Vegas was once the Las Vegas Hilton and it was home to the world's only "Star Trek: The Experience." This ticketing attraction built upon Las Vegas' desire to offer family attractions including rides and shows, offered an immersive trip to the Star Trek universe with experiences inspired by The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. There was a simulator ride (Klingon Encounter), a 4D show (Borg Encounter), a bar and restaurant (Quark's), a museum of sorts plus shopping and roaming characters. The experience was operated by Paramount Parks (ultimately Cedar Fair) in late 2008 with the place to open in an alternate location but that plan never panned out.    In the time since the closure of Star Trek: The Experience, the remnants of the old elements at the resort have slowly been removed. There isn't much left to see besides a futuristic gift shop and a preview center for timeshare sales... Tempting but not tempting enough. But if you know what you're looking for, you can find traces of what feels like a future era lost to the past. I couldn't subject myself to a timeshare pitch to take a closer look but this feels like the most "leftover" space remaining. Another gift shop space carries the same Star Trek-ish design. It is my understanding that all of these remaining spaces were outside of the ticketed portion of Star Trek: The Experience (along with the removed SpaceQuest Casino). This would be my first time on the Las Vegas Monorail and it may have been my last as it was recently announced that the monorail will likely be retired in the near future. This was as close as I got to The Sphere during this trip but the scale of it all is way more impressive when you see it up close. I swore I wouldn't do this during this trip... But my feet kept moving in this direction. In the time since my last trip to Vegas, the Manhattan Express/Big Apple Coaster had undergone a refurbishment including replaced track segments, new trains from Premier and a repaint.  All aboard the Manhattan Express! The Premier trains and the updated track segments have made the ride a slightly more enjoyable experience... But the "comfort collars" do take a bit away from those gains. Seconds later my comfort collar injected itself into my neck. ]  Our train got stuck in the station at the end of my first ride for over 20 minutes and we were offered a free re-ride. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment if the cost is free. I tried to get some better photos of the trains in motion... Going down! I went next to Luxor to see what traces of Lost Vegas I could find... There wasn't much. Enjoy this giant Dorito as a consolation prize. After not finding anything of note at Luxor, I drowned out my sorrows with an excessive number of purchases at Dominique Ansel…

I'm curious about the throughput. How long have waits been for anyone that's gone? FastLane? Stand-by?

Was there on Sunday/Monday. TT2 is insane going backwards and from what I'm hearing the silver train is the one that has shaky moments more than the other two trains. Sunday it broke down twice in line making a one hour wait closer to two and a half hours while Monday it didn't break down nearly as much and they pumped people through and didn't limit Fastlane riders to one ride like they were advertising a few weeks ago, though that might change later this year .  This ride is easily top 4 in the park IMO and more reliable than Maverick or Steel Vengeance. It's also a better ride overall than its predecessor.

Yes, brakes. Supposedly limiting them to about 25 MPH. I've only been on one and it felt more like it really only limited the speed on curves, the harder you hit the curve the more you slow down. However it works, they appear to be designed by following a simple set of design rules such as slope angle, versus having to calculate speed affected by everything that comes before a particular point on the ride. Powered coasters use the opposite mechanism, but if the result is also regulated speed, it similarly simplifies design and theoretically allows unlimited length; there is far more question if they're really coasters however. Maybe if someone made a ride that immediately hit the governor and stayed there, but they don't. The threshold for a "credit" isn't very high.

It is hard to tell Lawyers, Ride test brought things to light, Zamperla, Cedar point, Peoples inability to just be smart and put things away.  I mean this thing is 420 feet and 120is MPH. Things happen. I wish TT2 lockers was my biggest worry in life.  They saved this ride and have been getting great reviews, just go ride the thing and stop worrying about something you have no control. 

^ Thanks for your opinion. I appreciate your response. That locker situation concerns me. How can they design this ride, and last minute make this locker change? It's all Zamperla's fault -- right!!!