N'at Man

1. Nemesis 2. Top Gun (Carowinds) 3. Raptor 4. Orochi 5. Batman The Ride (SFOG) Nemesis simply blows me away. It's short but it's amazing. Top Gun for some reason strikes me as an all around solid inverted which is why I rate it higher than most people. I thought Alpengeist may have been the most impressive inverted I've ever been on (aside from Nemesis) the first two years it operated. Montu is a great ride but it is braked so it didn't make the list. All of the Batman rides are great as is Top Gun at Great America. I missed getting on Pyrenees when I was in Japan unfortunately and I haven't been on Katun either. As far as theming I like Dueling Dragons the best (good ride as well) followed by Black Mamba (decent ride) and Nemesis Inferno (also a decent ride).

Thanks for the update. I was trying to figure out how you got night rides with the early park closing time but 6 PM at HW is essentially 7 PM EDT and at this time of year it would have been dark in the middle of ERT. Anyway, a friend of mine was there and he was happy with the Voyage's performance. He said they fixed the exit of the one 90 degree turn. I can't wait to get back for HWN next year.

The unoriginal factor came into play back when CF renamed the ride at Geauga Lake to Thunderhawk. Makes sense to me to keep it the same, especially with some of the odd name choices we've seen recently. They could have pulled a Six Flags and called it Dominator or Steel Venom to completely confuse us. No surprise this ride goes to MiA. No way that park was getting a Beemer. It was probably down to the SLC or Boomerang and with MiA having the Corkscrew the SLC made the most sense. I don't see any CF park really needing a Boomerang in their lineup so it will be interesting to see what happens to that coaster.

I visited Japan a few years ago so I am familiar with what a foreign traveler experiences in that country. I knew some key Japanese phrases, figured out that most foreign friendly restaurants had picture menus or plastic food on display and I learned how much English was spoken by the locals. I want to ask those who have been to South Korea, in general, how did the country compare to Japan for foreign travelers? Was it more difficult to find English signs or find people who spoke a little English? Was ordering food about the same? Were trains and buses as efficient and one time as they are in Japan? I'd be interested in any observations, including differences at the parks.

I saw this one yesterday. It's right up there with Tommy Seebach's Apache music video.

I've been working on a case of Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest. I normally don't like to buy cases of beer but based on how drinkable this stuff is I'll probably need another case of Oktoberfest soon. This beer about the smoothest and freshest German Oktoberfest beer I've had outside of Munich (but with a lower ABV than you find at the tents in Munich). The flavor is great but a little weak so it really depends on the condition of your palate as to how it tastes from bottle to bottle. Sam Adams brews a nice Oktoberfest beer but I'm a sucker for the German brewed Oktoberfest beers.

One of the problems the Gold Rusher had was a lack of space for a queue and loading area. Everything is pointing to a shooting dark ride so the question is how will the park fit a new ride in that area with the extra queue area and updated ride experience the park desires. I became more of a fan of the Gold Rusher after Le Cachot was removed. There was nothing outstanding or amazing about it but it was a nice, standard dark ride. The spider and bats (stings) were surprising. With newer dark rides you rarely get those type of simple surprises that have worked for generations but have gone by the wayside for elements such as shooting games and 3-D effects.

Thanks for the tips. I have been to La Ronde before but that was before the B&Ms were installed. I think it's a decent park. Luckily I got the mini mine train before they had restrictions. I may go for a Flash Pass. Can anyone tell me how they load Goliath and Vampire for Flash Pass users? If they give middle seats on Goliath then I'll probably skip it. If I can get a decent seat on Goliath I'm all for it. I don't care much where I sit on the others. But I'll probably try to get a few rides on Le Monstre early.

I have some La Ronde questions of my own. Would you expect Labour Day (next Monday) to be as busy as a normal summer weekend day? I'm trying to estimate if I would need a Flash Pass. Also, if I arrive in the morning in a car do they park people near the front gate or in the back near the gate by Goliath? I'm trying to figure out how to deal with my camera storage (locker vs. car). It looks like Goliath is mostly situatied in the back parking lot so I'd probably want to go back there and get some footage if possible.

You have some very good points but I don't totally agree with everything you said. Progess and changes are needed and they not always a bad thing. I love great, new rides. But I believe you have to do it right and find the right mix of new and old. Look at how many old attractions at the Disney parks are top attractions but they have just as many newer attractions that are fan favorites. You mentioned the attractions that gave way for the Grand National and Big Dipper. I think if a ride survives for a long time, is still maintenance friendly and is a fan favorite it shouldn't be removed for another new ride. The flume may not have passed all of those tests so it was probably a better candidate for removal at the Pleasure Beach than a ride like the Big Dipper. But as far as Infusion being the "Nemisis of Blackpool" I'll give the GP more credit. They may get people to Blackpool once thinking Infusion=Nemesis but the GP will know that it's not the same and that Nemesis is clearly better. The GP doesn't know the names B&M and Intamin but they can tell what ride is better. If they didn't know this the Corkscrew at Alton Towers would be as popular as Nemesis, Air and Rita. Sure Infusion looks good for what it is but PBB will have to do better than this to impress a new crowd of visitors. Actually, The Big One is the type of ride that is impressive to people (though I find it a one trick ride with the first drop followed by a scenic railway rest of the ride - but I'm just an enthusiast and I realize that). I think I understand where enthusiasts stand in the world (not that they all do). But I observe what the GP likes and it's no coincidence that many of my favorite rides are the GPs favorite rides too. Not 100% but it's probably over 75%. I wait in many of the same long lines they do and skip some of the same rides they skip.

The problem I have with Amanda Thompson is not that she is looking towards the future but she's forgetting the past (or what's good about old Blackpool Pleasure Beach). In order to get a new marquee ride she shut down a great classic park in Pleasureland, took out the SLC and branded it as new at the Pleasure Beach. How does an recycled SLC help you draw anything more than the same old Blackpool resort crowd instead of, say, the type of person who now only goes to Alton Towers and rides brand new B&M and Intamin coasters? I'll give credit where credit is due. Valhalla is an outstanding newer attraction that fits well into the park. Infusion looks great and is running well for the used SLC that it is. But it's still a recycled, second rate ride (a B&M inverted being an example of a first rate ride in my opinion) that doesn't compare to what Tussaud's offers at their parks. On the down side, the Turtle Chase is gone and the Whip is rusting away. How much of a future does Noah's Ark have? Kennywood has proven that these type of rides can still work and have a great deal of appeal if they are maintained. Kennywood still looks to the future and adds innovative new rides within their budget but they don't forget about their roots.

Here's a video clip from England. We were staying at the Royal Hotel in Crewe (convenient to Alton Towers) and it was attached to the Corner Pub. We enjoyed bartender Dave and his buddy so much we had to get them on film. I was having a Guinness, Janna had a Kronenbourg and I think Dave had a bitter or a Carling. How can't you love the "I (beer) Beer" shirt? Notice the music we had playing on the jukebox. Another beer highlight of the trip was getting Amstel (non-light) at the Big Blue Hotel in Blackpool. I'm not much of a fan of the bitters so I stuck to Guinness, Carling and imports like Carlsberg. crewe.wmv Corner Bar at the Royal Hotel in Crewe

I'll give you my guesses. I would imagine the the Pleasure Beach prefers that he ride the Big One during the day to promote the ride. But the Big One doesn't have much padding and being so tall the weather is quite raw on it. Also, the trim brake noise on the Big One would surely be disruptive to guests at the Big Blue Hotel at night. Apparently on the Big Dipper they built a cover for his seat on the Big Dipper for night riding. I was at the park last week during my England trip and they were working on a Big Dipper train for the marathon and we saw pillows and even a coffee machine setup in the station.

Interesting that they didn't have any pricing/value questions. How about: --Price of parking --Price of a one day ticket --Price of a bottle of soda --Price of food Those factors would bring the satisfaction level down.

For anyone who thinks that Renegade is better than Hades or Avalanche, could you explain why you have that opinion? I am very curious as to why because I see that some people have that opinion. Help me understand your preferences.