Catching up
Had a great birthday, although underattendend, but I did go to Six Flags on a Saturday at the end of the season, so I don't blame people for not wanting to endure that.
G. I. Joe was acceptable. The less you know about the original source material, the better you'll like it. They made some radical changes to a couple of the characters that I didn't completely agree with. A couple of the changes don't even make sense within the context of the movie itself, ignoring the source material completely. But it's not like we're talking about an Oscar contender here.
At Six Flags me was me and Phil and we had a blast. He hadn't been for several years and was therefore able to experience a few rides he hadn't been on before. Rides we rode included:
1) Goliath - This was our first stop to try to get one of the major lines out of the way early. Awesome coaster.
2) Superman - This was probably the ride I was most looking forward to, so I was disappointed when it was closed and we couldn't do it as our second stop. It reopened later in the day and it was the second-to-last ride we rode, standing in the longest, slowest line of the day. They were supposed to close at 8, but we didn't get on this ride until 8:15.
3) Great American Scream Machine - I think this was my last trip on the ol' Scream Machine. The ride hasn't stood the test of time. As a roller coaster it's pretty tame, but at the same time it beats you up. I had to have a rest afterwards to let my internal organs settle back down after all the jolting around.
4) Wheelie - A tame ride, but one with nostalgia appeal. I remember it lasting longer, though.
5) Ninja - A decent ride, but needs knee pads on the backs of the seats in front of you. Nothing special.
6) Acrophobia (x2) - This is becoming one of my favorite rides in the park. The seats tilting so you can see straight down before it drops you, the "whoosh" sound it makes as it falls. I loved it.
7) Georgia Scorcher - The last time I rode it I hated it, but I gave it another chance and have changed my mind. If you get the "seat" adjusted correctly it's not too bad. The first time I didn't and it was very uncomfortable.
8) Dahlonega Mine Train - Another tame coaster, but with nostalgia appeal.
9) Batman: The Ride - The only real disappointment of the day, but not the ride itself...the line. Line-cutting is a bit problem at Six Flags, but at every other ride the folks in the line pretty much just policed it themselves. At this ride they handed us a ticket. No explanation of what it was for, just a ticket, leaving us to speculate as to its purpose. Line-cutting was still going on, but this time it was with a sense of entitlement as people waved their tickets around, compared numbers, or just flat ignored them. This was also the line where we had the really obnoxious teenagers behind us who were difficult to ignore. It was also hot. We passed by a room where the line could have been diverted that had air conditioning, but the line bypassed it so we all roasted. The ride itself was awesome, as usual, just a bit of a trial getting to it.
10) Mindbender - I remember this being one of the few rides I was afraid of when I was a kid. Not anymore. Still a rush, but not as extreme as I used to think.
11) Monster Mansion - I was really looking forward to this one. The last time I rode the Monster Plantation it was disgraceful...dusty, torn scenery, and really a waste of space. With the renovation and the "newness" of it, the line was really long. In the end I think it was worth it, but in the future if the line is that long I won't be waiting in it. They didn't really change much, they just "reupholstered" everything. There were a couple of small changes with water jets and some darker areas in the Marsh area, but the characters were all the same. One thing that didn't change but should have was the speaker system. For all the renovations, the sound was still horrible. You couldn't hear a single thing the characters were saying clearly.
Rides missed:
All the water rides. Thunder River, Log Jamboree, and Splashwater Falls. The lines move slowly and you're uncomfortable for the rest of the day. I came prepared with Ziploc bags for my phone and wallet, but ended up not needing them.
Georgia Cyclone - Just didn't have time. And after the Scream Machine I wasn't in a big hurry for another wooden coaster.
Gotham City Crime Wave - I just can't get excited about something that used to be called the Highland Swing the way I used to.
Big thanks to Phil for paying for my ticket and the overpriced lemonade later in the day as my birthday presents. I'd like to go again during Fright Fest if anybody might be up for that.
G. I. Joe was acceptable. The less you know about the original source material, the better you'll like it. They made some radical changes to a couple of the characters that I didn't completely agree with. A couple of the changes don't even make sense within the context of the movie itself, ignoring the source material completely. But it's not like we're talking about an Oscar contender here.
At Six Flags me was me and Phil and we had a blast. He hadn't been for several years and was therefore able to experience a few rides he hadn't been on before. Rides we rode included:
1) Goliath - This was our first stop to try to get one of the major lines out of the way early. Awesome coaster.
2) Superman - This was probably the ride I was most looking forward to, so I was disappointed when it was closed and we couldn't do it as our second stop. It reopened later in the day and it was the second-to-last ride we rode, standing in the longest, slowest line of the day. They were supposed to close at 8, but we didn't get on this ride until 8:15.
3) Great American Scream Machine - I think this was my last trip on the ol' Scream Machine. The ride hasn't stood the test of time. As a roller coaster it's pretty tame, but at the same time it beats you up. I had to have a rest afterwards to let my internal organs settle back down after all the jolting around.
4) Wheelie - A tame ride, but one with nostalgia appeal. I remember it lasting longer, though.
5) Ninja - A decent ride, but needs knee pads on the backs of the seats in front of you. Nothing special.
6) Acrophobia (x2) - This is becoming one of my favorite rides in the park. The seats tilting so you can see straight down before it drops you, the "whoosh" sound it makes as it falls. I loved it.
7) Georgia Scorcher - The last time I rode it I hated it, but I gave it another chance and have changed my mind. If you get the "seat" adjusted correctly it's not too bad. The first time I didn't and it was very uncomfortable.
8) Dahlonega Mine Train - Another tame coaster, but with nostalgia appeal.
9) Batman: The Ride - The only real disappointment of the day, but not the ride itself...the line. Line-cutting is a bit problem at Six Flags, but at every other ride the folks in the line pretty much just policed it themselves. At this ride they handed us a ticket. No explanation of what it was for, just a ticket, leaving us to speculate as to its purpose. Line-cutting was still going on, but this time it was with a sense of entitlement as people waved their tickets around, compared numbers, or just flat ignored them. This was also the line where we had the really obnoxious teenagers behind us who were difficult to ignore. It was also hot. We passed by a room where the line could have been diverted that had air conditioning, but the line bypassed it so we all roasted. The ride itself was awesome, as usual, just a bit of a trial getting to it.
10) Mindbender - I remember this being one of the few rides I was afraid of when I was a kid. Not anymore. Still a rush, but not as extreme as I used to think.
11) Monster Mansion - I was really looking forward to this one. The last time I rode the Monster Plantation it was disgraceful...dusty, torn scenery, and really a waste of space. With the renovation and the "newness" of it, the line was really long. In the end I think it was worth it, but in the future if the line is that long I won't be waiting in it. They didn't really change much, they just "reupholstered" everything. There were a couple of small changes with water jets and some darker areas in the Marsh area, but the characters were all the same. One thing that didn't change but should have was the speaker system. For all the renovations, the sound was still horrible. You couldn't hear a single thing the characters were saying clearly.
Rides missed:
All the water rides. Thunder River, Log Jamboree, and Splashwater Falls. The lines move slowly and you're uncomfortable for the rest of the day. I came prepared with Ziploc bags for my phone and wallet, but ended up not needing them.
Georgia Cyclone - Just didn't have time. And after the Scream Machine I wasn't in a big hurry for another wooden coaster.
Gotham City Crime Wave - I just can't get excited about something that used to be called the Highland Swing the way I used to.
Big thanks to Phil for paying for my ticket and the overpriced lemonade later in the day as my birthday presents. I'd like to go again during Fright Fest if anybody might be up for that.