Kennywood to Announce Wednesday

I always remember Whipeout being very aggressive.

Wipeout can be aggressive but the problem at KW was that they did not run it both ways, forward and backward. Waldameer does this.

LostKause said:
I wish someone in the U.S. would build a Huss Jump, giant or regular sized. You hear that KW?

I agree completely LK, the one at Canada's wonderland is a popular ride, and is a very good eye catcher. SFGadv had one (regular size), for a few years and last time I saw it, it was in their graveyard. :(

I only rode the "Jumpin' Flash" at GAdv, twice. It was the best flat ride I've ever been on. I wish someone in the States would build a Jump or a giant Jump, because I don't think that I can afford a passport these days. I'd only want to leave the country to go to CW, and a few hundred dollars is a lot for money to spend on being allowed to leave the U.S.

...And KW would be the perfect park for a Jump.

Was that another stupid rant? I got to stop doing that. :)

A few hundred dollars is indeed a lot. That's why a passport card to go to Canada, Mexico and the Carribean is only $45. You could easily save that much by just getting the regular flash pass instead of the gold one. :)

And for the record, you can leave for free. The passport is only needed if you want to come back.

No line jumping for me, thank you.

$45 is not bad at all. I still wonder why we have to pay to be allowed to leave the country though. Thanks for the info.

LostKause said:
I still wonder why we have to pay to be allowed to leave the country though.

The same reason you can get into New Jersey for free, but have to pay all kinds of tolls to leave. ;)

^You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. ;)

...and for the Huss Jump fans (not the VH "Jump" fans) - there was a Jump running at Puyallup last time I was there a few years ago....and sadly, I was unable to show Jill the glory of the Jump2 since SledgeHammer was down last month when we visited (apparently it had been for a while, according to the locals).

Sorry to take us further off topic, but...

Am I the only person hear who thinks that Sledge Hammer runs a pretty tame program? I mean, it definitely has potential (that double-drop was great!), but it's current program just doesn't deliver like I expected it to.

But boy, does that park have an AMAZING collection of flats, or what!? (Riptide, Drop Tower, Shockwave, Psyclone, Jet Scream, Sledge, Orbiter, and Night Mares, Klockwerks, Rage)

Lord Gonchar said:

The same reason you can get into New Jersey for free, but have to pay all kinds of tolls to leave. ;)

Because we all know if it were the other way around, revenue would drop by 90 percent. :)

LK, you are not paying to be allowed to leave the country. You are paying for an internationally recognized and accepted document that identifies you as an American citizen. Believe it or not, your driver's license or coaster club membership cards just don't cut it. ;)

DantheCoasterman said:

But boy, does that park have an AMAZING collection of flats, or what!? (Riptide, Drop Tower, Shockwave, Psyclone, Jet Scream, Sledge, Orbiter, and Night Mares, Klockwerks, Rage)

Yeah! I noticed that when I was there. Not only did they have a ton of coasters, they had a ton of flats too. With Behemoth, that park is now a REALLY great place to go!

If you're gonna go through the hassle of the passport card, you may as well just get the regular passport as well.

I got both at the same time, and it was only $120. Plus, they only took three weeks for normal processing!

I just sent in my 10 year renewal, and added the new card. Only $95.

I was getting a BRAND NEW passport.

LostKause said:

Was that another stupid rant? I got to stop doing that. :)

Not at all. The notion that one should need to pay for a passport or card to get between the US and Canada is beyond ludicrous.

Actually as I understand it Canada (reasonably) doesn't really care, it's about getting back into the US that you need it for. So no, at least on this point rant all you want, it's a sham but it sounds like you're figuring that out for yourself pretty well.

One of our Canadian friends over on PointBuzz recently mentioned that tourism (i.e., casino dollars) in Windsor and Niagara Falls is hurting since the new rules went into place. I'm sure the US State Dept. could care less, but what a bummer.

The new rules were devised after 9/11 to spoosedly "keep out terrorists."

For me being so close to Canada, (less that 5 hours to Montreal, and three hour ferry to Nova Scotia), it makes sense to have a passport.

Plus, I've got friend who teaching in Prauge and has offered me a couch to crash in if I choose to visit.

Jeff said:
One of our Canadian friends over on PointBuzz recently mentioned that tourism (i.e., casino dollars) in Windsor and Niagara Falls is hurting since the new rules went into place. I'm sure the US State Dept. could care less, but what a bummer.

I believe it. I was planning a trip to Niagara Falls/Toronto earlier this summer to take advantage of their gambling and drinking ages but couldn't go because I didn't have a passport and wouldn't have gotten one soon enough to go. I'm sure the same is happening to many others.

Plus my mom refused to give me my birth certificate, but that's another story.

I love the terrorist reasoning for "enhanced security." Because, you know, the 9/11 guys couldn't possibly get the right credentials and identification to get on airplanes in the first place.

Jeff said:
One of our Canadian friends over on PointBuzz recently mentioned that tourism (i.e., casino dollars) in Windsor and Niagara Falls is hurting since the new rules went into place.

Or it could be that there are casinos within an hour drive of most cities at this point.