Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Discuss theme parks, roller coasters, and donkeys!
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World's Longest Coaster
who has the actual record- 12 replies
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The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 652
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Photo TR: Adam's 2023 Las Vegas Adventure
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Bert gets his Viking on with the TPR 2023 Scandi Tour (no Pillaging, but some Humping occured) 1 2 3 4 5
Day 22, now updated: Full morning at Särkänniemi- 112 replies
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Photo TR: A day in the West-Flemish Amazon Jungle - Bellewaerde 28/4/2025
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Coaster pants
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Are US Las Vegas and possibly Disney monorails in danger of disappearing in the next 10 years?
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By CedarFlags · Posted
Maybe it's the 'tism speaking but... I think the people voting No are considering form more than function. The mechanics of being hoisted up a lift hill, then riding a rolling ride vehicle through a layout of track, converting potential energy into kinetic energy.... that's what a roller coaster is. That's what mountain coasters do, they just have different ride vehicles. -
By CedarFlags · Posted
I've been on several mountain coasters and, just like traditional coasters, they feature trim brakes to keep the ride vehicles traveling at the intended speed for the design in certain areas. Some sections of the layout are meant to be taken faster or slower. Also I have no clue where your "unlimited length" theory is coming from because brakes remove energy from the ride vehicle, they don't add energy. You can't have unlimited length on something that gets its energy from being pulled up a hill and coasting back down. -
By CedarFlags · Posted
Log ride is finally back open and Ghostrider is now closed for its pre-summer maintenance. -
By Hilltopper39 · Posted
Great report, this looks like my kind of trip to Vegas. I'm pretty excited for the Meowolf installation in Orlando if it ever actually gets built, and also interested to see how it does. I feel like Orlando can be a bit weird at times for attractions like that so I could see it being really successful or struggling a bit after the initial "newness" wears off. -
By abovethesink · Posted
We last went in 2022. SkyRush had an awful shake in the wing seat I rode in and was pretty smooth on an inside seat. I only had the two rides. Looking forward to getting back and trying it with the new restraints. They didn't completely ruin the ride for me, but they were very, very bad. Now I just need SFNE to replace the god awful bricks on Superman. -
By abovethesink · Posted
I know I am not saying anything original here, but it will always blow my mind that a park with this much land LITERALLY within the distance of human sight from a top ten most visited tourist attraction in the world has amounted to so little. Any park in this spot should be a slam dunk success on paper. -
By thepoint4life23 · Posted
Each week you wait will Get a little busier. If the hotel is fully booked means its going to be pretty booked. Like he said you can knocked alot out the last hour or so in the park, and first hour if you dont waste it waiting for something to open. https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/sandusky/44870/june-weather/1167 This might help not a big change from start of June to the middle. Also its on a leak will always have some kind of breeze. -
Closing at 8 also reflects the park's own forecast of the crowds, although part of that is self-fulfilling. If you're big into night rides, there is no substitute though. I went a Sun-Mon the Sunday was until 10. You can still do a lot without Fastlane between less popular rides and the start and end of each day, for example I got 2 rides on MF the first night in 30-40 min. Practically the first thing I did upon getting FL was ride Magnum which thankfully wasn't out to the merge point. The merge is highly variable depending on the ride. -
By Mustangman55 · Posted
Thanks for another kind reply I appreciate both of your responses. I will look at Ohio weather over the next few days and see as I haven’t paid attention. Only heard second hand. Unfortunately middle of the week June 17-20 appears to be completely booked up besides the crazy expensive suite. I’ve thought about going the week after but then that’s probably more crowds and hotter. I will also think about going the dates Prozac suggested as that may fit the bill. If I knew crowds would be almost identical I’d definitely do the dates you guys are suggesting. You seem to be a local how different would first week be most likely? Health also may get in the way so I really appreciate you understanding that. I really wish I could wave my magic wand and make Cedar point stay open until 10 that first week. Also apologies if I’m kind of asking the same things twice or wanting more details. I’m just that kind of OCD person that loves every little detail. I don’t mean to be daft Thank you. -
By Mustangman55 · Posted
That is an extremely compelling argument. And I do agree about FL. It would be nice not to pay but like you said I may not be back for quite some time. In fact that’s quite likely. Can I ask why you say Sun-Tuesday instead of the middle of the week? Also I take it you mean I should arrive at the park Saturday 6/15 and then enjoy those three full days. I guess for me it’s going to come down to heat and crowds. Just how much worse would the crowd & heat be on those dates vs the beginning? I know fast lane is awesome but I have seen people say that in the busy times FL can still be a decently long wait. I know you’re not a magic genie that can predict the future perfectly obvi(thinking out loud). And I’m guessing Top Thrill 2 isn’t going to help matters lol. I think I’d rather go earlier and balance out the crowds but I’m definitely taking your opinion into account. I also have some very recent health crap that could actually push me to go those days you recommend anyway. I’m hoping to ride my heart out. Thanks for the response! -
Särkänniemi swag: 3 magnets - the park's main mascot (I assume, since he's on a magnet wearing park overalls) the park in the evening . just lovely and way discounted, in the back corner of the tower gift shop - a Moomin "ghost" magnet, (that looks like haunted condoms). so yeah, that farm area used to be Moomin Valley. -
Day 22: Saturday, June 24th - busy morning at Särkänniemi (before a drive to Helsinki). Part 2 of 2 from the Lake Carousel, I had spotted that giant tire, which seemed to lead to another "themed" area going thru there, and we found a section themed to Motocross (complete with people just sitting on the photo op, as always happens). . over here is the park's final "big" coaster (no, I didn't ride the kiddie coaster, despite it's nice location just off the lake). MotoGee - a fun Zamperla moto-coaster complete with the kinda awkward seating. . .LOL. . but with some nice theming (including starting lights and sound effects) it was a fun coaster, and being so compact, it felt much faster than it was. I liked it. whee!!! not sure who took this. . possibly Andy? we were getting hungry and after looking at options, several of us decided that Smisty and Erik had a good idea to try out the restaurant at the top of the tower. so we headed in that general direction, me stopping to snap pics as we made our way up towards the front of the park / tower entrance. Tornado and the flume, really do almost interact with each other. Not on the level of Grona Lund interaction, but close enough it's impressive. I can't remember if I rode the flume here? I THINK I did (tho I know I didn't ride the rapids ride). ah. . here's the main entrance to Tornado, that we skipped earlier by going in thru the exit. Down the steps into the underground launch. not quite sure what this open space was by Tornado's entrance. was it overflow queue? was it an abandoned Ride Pad? It did kinda look like a small flat ride was here at one point. maybe it's a performance space? there IS seating over there. Great view of Tornado's big loop, from the Flume turn around area taking a peek at the menu, it was a bit. . . fancy. but I like trying fru-fru food, and they had several set menu choices - and were not busy at ALL.. so a bunch of us decided to join and have a fancy dinner. To get there tho? you have to ride in the disco elevator! with kinky 70's mirrored ceiling. . . oooo. .the view from up here is lovely! looking down, this was a whole section of the park I had not been to yet (and wouldn't get much time in, as the meal -as most FANCY places are - was slow and took a while, so it ate up more than an hour of our park time. I'm not complaining, it was SO worth it. and I'd do it again, choose sit down fancy restaurant over area of park. tho this area appeared to be themed to "farm" society (tho I DO believe it's based on a children's show, going by the characters that were around in there). The only "big" ride over here is the rapids ride, you can see just below. ohhh. . the observation level is still one level below the restaurant - which now that I think about it? did rotate. so up the stairs. felt a bit under-dressed, but the hostess (once she got over the surprise of a group showing up on what I suspect is a typically slow-ish day for them, as this seemed to be more of an evening/dinner place) was pleasant and led us to a table. before ordering anything tho, I took a quick walk around (needed restroom) and snapped pics of the views the hostess came up behind me while taking this and explained the area below used to be Christmas Town, and before that ? it was themed to Moomin. she also pointed out the wedge shaped building below and said that used to be the Dolphin theatre, but that the park had filled it in with concrete and were planning some kind of new show/attraction there, but she wasnt' sure what. I took the "long way" around back to our table, so I could snap pics from all angles. they really DO cram quite a bit onto this peninsula. back at our table, the waitress snapped a pic of all of us who were about to enjoy the meal. I think a couple of us went with the set "Finlandia" menu.. hey, when in Rome, right? it was unique, and all of it was very good. the deer was SO good. I think it was the apricot sauce that cinched it for me. you can see, they weren't very busy. I think just one other couple was up there with us. I VERY much enjoyed the experience tho. ' Celery Gelato. . .with hazlenut and I believe this was a moist strawberry vanilla cake. after our meal (which I think took almost 2 hours? maybe slightly less), we had only an hour or so until it was time to meet the bus and head out. since the elevator is in the tower, and the base holds the Aquarium/reptile house, I went to check that out: after a quick stop in the gift shop to pick up a few things, I headed over to the "farm" area for the last 20 minutes I had, to check it out. the rapids ride is very pretty, and it certainly is a showstopper to come across the name of the ride in the middle of a waterfall. but as i was worried about time - and REALLY didn't want to get on the bus for a drive while wet, I skipped it and checked out the area instead. lots and lots of characters, and folks IN character here. I think this *might* be an upcharge area? not 100% sure, but I do remember these two checking to make sure I had an armband on. yeah. . GOTTA be based on a kids show. there were some people over here, who appeared to be waiting for whatever show this was gonna be. and live Pony rides!! haven't seen that in a park in a long time (Six Flags Over Texas used to have pony rides). they were small ponies, so I watched, and didn't even ask. I mean, if adults can't ride the carousel? no point in even asking about the live ponies 😛 some live pigs, and sheep over here too. and then some "not so live" cows. making weird faces. ummm. . . ok ? hey, Elissa! at least I didn't Hump it! (and it looks pretty happy. . LOL) there's one you can "milk" too. .and a very nice Finnish Gentleman asked me if I'd like him to take a picture. so in two days, I'd "milked" two cows in Finland! there's a little mini-obstacle course over here too, that was pretty popular with families. (it had a line) and before heading back to the bus, I checked out the gift shop over here, that was full of plushies, and kiddie toys. i honestly *almost* bought this guy. . but as I had some Särkänniemi swag already? I didn't want to overdo it. and then it was time to head back to the bus. . we had a drive to Helsinki ahead of us still today. hope you've enjoyed following along! one evening, and one full day left in the trip!
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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!
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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 -
By prozach626 · Posted
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)
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