My 16th Birthday Dilemma......

Hey everyone...I am planning my 16th birthday, and my dad has agreed to let me plan. I ts just going to be me, him, and a week of amusement parks!! So now ot the real question....what should I do? I've come down to 2 possible choices, but dont know which would be better choice. I list them both out for you.....

1. California Trip

-SFMM, Knotts, and DCA. Possibly SFMW, if I can convince my dad to drive there.

2. Florida Trip

-Both Universal Parks, Seaworld, and Busch Gardens.

Let me know what all of you guys think....any pros or cons you guys see.....I am so unsure of what to do!!

Thanks everyone!

A couple of questions:

1. Where do you live?

2. Have you ever been to any of these parks?

3. When are you going?

4. Why dont you have the Disney parks as one of your options?

Or an Ohio Trip?

If you are like me, and you prefer a good coaster ride than theming, then the easy choice would be SoCal. They have much more coasters to choose from and Tower of Terror will be open (and Mummy perhaps?)

Wow, I got like a new shirt or something for my 16th birthday... maybe a Sega Genesis game...

1. I live in PA

2. In CA ive been to Knotts (2 years ago) and in FL ive been to the Universal parks (4 years ago)

3. My birthday isnt till Sept., but we want to go before school goes back....Ill say around July/August

4. Im not into the Disney scene...I'm simply in it for the coasters.

And Den, I have to admit im spoiled....but when you have a coaster obsession you got to do what you got to do!......haha

The California trip sounds vastly more interesting but what do I know? I think a new shirt sounds more interesting then the Florida trip :)

Den....don't feel too bad, I got PONG....;)

bill, agrees with millrace....at least until MY Mummy is.....excavated (?)...;)

I would say go for CA, while FL is nice but not alot of coasters that inpressed me. I was there this summer, Hulk was my 50th coaster. IOA is a great park, the theming is the best I have seen, but as it goes for coaster they are good, but just not many of them. SeaWorld is GREAT, but again only one coaster, but it's one of the best I have ever been on. As it goes for BGT, I wasn't impressed at all. We went on a day were it was cool and light rain, so maybe that had something to do with it. The coasters were nothing to me, the only one I liked was Montu and because of the weather and it was a weekday we rode it 7 times in a row without waitting we just kept changing seats, which was great for them to let us do that without walking in line again. The park really wasn't what I was looking for, I think BGW is much, much better. That's just what I think about it, I would go to CA just because I have never been there.

I got Pong for Christmas 2003! Pretty good game but its no Super Breakout. :)

Incidentally, the best video game review site on the 'net just posted a review of Super Breakout (scroll down one screen):
http://www.videogamecritic.net

For my 16th, I got a Swiss Army knife (still really useful to this day!)

If you're just in it for the coasters, I'd go the CA route. Xcelerator and GhostRider give Knott's a great 1-2 punch, and of course, there's all that steel at SFMM.

If you're going for a whole week, try and talk dear ol' Dad into driving up to the bay area for SFMW and PGA. If he likes a good drive, the run up PCH 1, albeit slower, is just beautiful. I highly recommend a lunch stop in Morro Bay to watch the pelicans. Also, you can buy a permit and actually drive onto the sand at Pismo Beach.

Later,
EV

For your 16th birthday, go to Hooters and when you try to get up on the birthday platform while they sing to you, you'll figure out you have a middle ear problem, lose your balance, fall and break a Hooters girl's toe. This will cement your fear of heights and you'll be too scared to go on the trip to begin with.

If I were going somewhere for just coasters, I would go to the three Texas SF parks and SeaWorld SA. There's one park in SoCal with more than 3 coasters worth riding and you have to go all the way to NorCal with PGA and SFMW only to find some odd impulse that may or may not be fun or thrilling, *another* B&M floorless that you'll probably have a chance to get at SFMM, one of the worst woodies ever, a decent GCI twister, some Vekomas, kiddie coasters, and a short B&M invert. I'm not very good at this convincing game and I kind of forget why I care. ;)

On the other hand, I love the Disney parks, so SoCal would be a must any day of the week.

-Danny, Not's *** Edited 2/16/2004 10:28:40 PM UTC by Koaster King***

Three years ago my mom took me and my best friend out to SoCal for my birthday. It was one of the best times of my life. We were there for five days and went to SFMM two days and hit both of the Disney parks. I personally think you should go to California because when I went it was so much fun and if you are just interested in coasters SoCal is definitely the best choice. Have fun!

I would say California. I live in Florida, work at Hard Rock hotel @universal orlando, and if your in it mostly for the coasters and not the overall park experience, I would definetely say Cali. Knotts is great, and all the rides at SFMM (X is by far the best) are amazing. Crappyhyper though. I wasn't impressed by goliath at all. Drop could have been alot steeper, and no airtime. too much braking at the MCBR.

Personally, screw both of them and hit ohio. PKI, CP, WOA. that would be my trip.

I wish that was a dilemma I had to deal with on my 16th birthday! ;)

Believe it or not, this idea isn't unusual. A few years ago, we ran into a father and son at SFA. I believe they were hitting four parks during the week, and had the parks and coasters they were going to be riding listed on matching t-shirts (I'm not suggesting you do that). If I were you, I'd do the Kennywood, SFWOA, Cedar Point, PKI trip. That would be quite a week. Think of all the money you'll save your dad by not going to your proposed parks. Money that could be put forth toward your college education, or a car etc.

I'll go with Intamin Fan on this one. It's worth it even if you're not going way away.

-Danny

Addendum to Inamin Fan, if you have been to Kennywood, go to Holiday World instead and if you have allready been to SFWOA goto SFGAm.

I must be the only person who would go to Florida in a second over California. But hey, I go for quality, not quantity. :)

-Nate