SFA 2005 Trip Reports (Starting 4/17)

Never mind.... I take that back... When I sent my original post the website was down. I just tried again and they are still around. They were having some cash problems a couple of years ago. Here is a link to the website.

http://www.lo-q.com/

The regular fastlane at our park and other SF parks just seem temporary, until we get the Q-bot service. It is being advertised in the park, but now it just seems like a big ripoff. I've never seen people use the service for a particular ride (well only Batwing).

If we did have this service now then Batwing will be more reliable with the dueling station. It's sad to see another train sit dormant in that station.

SFOG i know for a fact that Superman Ultimate Flight use both stations because they have the system.

Q-bot is very reliable and smart. Tells you when the ride brokedown to it being closed etc. I wouldn't mind using this system on a crowded day (especially FF). Also 1 Q-bot can manage up to six people.

And its Waterproof!!!! *** Edited 5/3/2005 12:50:57 AM UTC by SF Critic***

---

Coaster Lover said:
Not this time. Ya, I was taking the MCATs (Medical College Application Test) yesterday… yes, there are coaster enthusiasts in college who are planning on going areas other than “theme park manager” or “roller coaster designer.”

---

I have to say that I respect you for going into the medical field. My dad's a doctor and I know that it's not easy, especially the education part. But that's no reason to go stereotyping against other 'coaster enthusiasts'.

I'm not sure if you were just joking around or not but without those coaster enthusiasts going into theme park management or coaster design, who is going to allow you to enjoy your passion for coasters in 15 years from now when the current managers or designers retire?

Who would you rather have running the theme parks you visit? A dedicated coaster junkie who has experience in the field and a college education lame businessman (Typical SF manager) who doesn't know how to run a park?

Judging from the trip report and evaluations, I think a majority of the people on this site would do a great job running a theme park. *** Edited 5/3/2005 2:03:12 AM UTC by Ride of Steel***

Ya, ya, Ride of Steel, I was just fooling around. It just seems that so many in the teen population that visit this site have asperations of going into the industry. Anyways, I wish everyone the best of luck in whatever field they desire to go.

I was gonna go today but I'm stuck attending a birthday party at my nephew's house so my trip's been pushed up to next sunday instead.

Two face vallied it seems? man looks like the opening day problems with supes must've spread down to SWT.

As I was only at the park for about 2.5 hours, let me just fill you in on the important details.

-Superman’s red train is ALMOST ready… next weekend, I’d guess (I hope).
-Joker’s Jinx is finally finished it’s paint job
-Flying Carousel has a new “tent cover” and topper
-All rides were open except Krypton Comet which looks like it will be down for a while longer
-Hurricane Harbor progress is really coming along fast now. Just look at the pics for proof of that.

Well, they say a picture’s worth a thousand words, so I’ll let the pix do the rest of the talking, enjoy!

http://photobucket.com/albums/y208/CoasterLover/

It's my understanding, we will probably not see the red train on Superman until Memorial Day weekend.

Great pics. The Hurricane Harbor sign looks akward because of its location (Maybe because I haven't seen it up when I was there). Was the Paradise Island sign there before? I dont remember since I haven't to the waterpark since 2000. Due to me not having a season pass, but now I have one.

The construction looks like it was moving pretty fast that week for half of Bahama Blast and Tornado up. SFGAm Hurricane Harbor is also moving pretty fast, but since their waterpark is new they have alot more construction to do before the park makes it's debut (May 28).

Does anybody know about the bridge next to Around the World in 80 Days and by the The Deer Park Plunge? I wasn't looking on that side and I want to know if they are gonna tear it down, because it just gives you another way to Hurricance Harbor and sometimes it just serves no purpose (well to ME).

Take a look at this pic:
http://photobucket.com/albums/y208/CoasterLover/?action=view¤t=SFA02.jpg

The old Paradise Island sign was supported by the two wooden poled that are holding up that blue surfboard to the left of the new Hurricane Harbor sign. You can see that the new sign is about twice as tall as the old sign was and is about 3 times as wide as the old sign. As for the location of the new sign, it's actually probably one of the better places to put the sign. The problem with the entrance to Hurricane Harbor is that it sits back and to an angle of the main midway. It's like it's at the tip of the short end of the number "7". You really cannot see the entrance to Hurricane Harbor by just looking back when you get to the fountain, you basically almost need to look all the way over your shoulder because it sits to the left, but it's back at an angle. With the sign where it is, you can slearly look left from the midway and easily see the huge sign. Try it next time you're there. You can really see the sign for Hurricane Harbor better from the midway than you could see the sign for Paradise Island, and it's not just because the HH sign is so large.

As for construction, it's getting to be crunch time. The waterpark is opening in just over two weeks and there's still work to be done (though the same can be said about SFGAm). The new slides COULD be done by next weekend, but that might be pushing it. I'd say they'll be done in about 10 days or so. After that, things will go fast. Most all of the painting and retheming around HH is started or done. I don't know how the cabanas or new stores or what notare coming along, but I'd guess they're on their way. In the last week they'll lay down the new pathway covering and have the landscaping crew work their magic just in time for opening weekend. It's going to be close, but I'm fairly confident it will be ready in time. Things will really come together once the slids are finished.

As for that second bridge, no reason to remove it. If anything it helps to quiclkly get people out of the park at the end of the night. It's also a sligtly faster way to get from the lockers by the Grand Theater to Hurricane Harbor. By the way, once the opening show is moved to the stage in front of the Grand Theater, I'd guess you will be able to get to those lockers before the park is officially open, so you can have your stuff stored away before the rope drops.

The only thing I don't like about the sign is the fence runs in front of it instead of around it, maybe add a chain link fence like the signs in Gotham City leading down the pathway to Batwing.

By the way, my pictures are up.

http://www.sfafans.org/SFA%205-08/index.html *** Edited 5/10/2005 10:39:31 AM UTC by coasterguts***

Coaster Lover I see what you mean. The Hurricane Harbor sign is in a good place. I imagined more of the sign of Hurricane Harbor @ SFNE with the lighthouse, but I guess thats when you pass the games on the midway into the waterpark.

I didn't know that Mako and Hammerhead were being repainted. Shocking!!!! Well I guess the waterpark say Ultimate Makeover, that means EVERYTHING!!!! Well im glad to say that all the slides for Deer Park Plunge will be open. Everytime I wanted to ride all the slides, sometimes 2 or 3 out of the 4 was open. I wonder what Hurricane Bay will look like especially the background at the end of the wavepool and the lazy river; Well Everything!!!! Only 2 weeks away!!!

Have yaw been to any SF Hurricane Harbors? I haven't due to some SF waterparks you have to pay for (at least SFGAdv).

Also the New Hurricane Harbor sign is more Noticable.

The one's at SFGAdv and SFNE are amazing, almost to the point that they rival Disney for themeing. Think about the Golden Kingdom level of themeing, but throught the ENTIRE waterpark, ya, that's what they are like. As much as I'd like them to do something with the lazy river, I for some reason don't think it will be done this year. I've always thought they should make the lazy river longer, so maybe if they did that they could re-theme it while they're at it. I DID hear that they would be altering the backdrop to Hurricane Bay... what it will look like though is still anyone's guess.

---

Coaster Lover said:
As much as I'd like them to do something with the lazy river, I for some reason don't think it will be done this year. I've always thought they should make the lazy river longer, so maybe if they did that they could re-theme it while they're at it. I DID hear that they would be altering the backdrop to Hurricane Bay... what it will look like though is still anyone's guess.

---

I just recently seen pictures of Hurricane Harbors at different SF parks and they are AMAZING!!!! They're themings do rival Disney. I always knew that SF are good at theming when they want to.

As for the lazy river? Yeah it is small lazy river for a typical SF park, but I think its bigger than PKD. This is an Ultimate Makeover for the waterpark. If they wanted to make it larger then they would have done it this year. They are basically doing the whole park why will they wait, unless the waterpark get a phase 2?

As for the backdrop for Hurricane Bay I think it will look similar to SFGAm. If we do get a phase 2 for the waterpark they can place Hurricane Mountain right behind the wavepool just like SFGAm. There is enough space to put a phase 2 back there if they wanted to.

The only thing that SF slacked on was Gotham City at our park. Theming for that section was ok but they could have added more. I've seen other Gotham Cities when they added fake city buildings as theming and trash like you was in NYC. I've even heard DC Comics area @ SFNE looked better than ours? I hope they add more theming in the back soon, with indoor restaurant, more flats, and another bathroom.

Well, I was at the park today and dispite it being Friday the 13th, it was actually a pretty good day. Not too much new to report. Superman opened with the rest of the park at 10:30 (the red train has test dummies in it, so I'd guess it will be in operation by next weekend), TSC opened around 1pm and ran REALLY well the whole time I was at the park, everything else ran two trains except Batwing (and Two Face of course). Employees wern't as openly friendly as they were opening weekend, but they were doing their job. They were fast, efficient, and the park was clean.

As for Hurricane Harbor, I THINK I saw the backdrop for the wavepool. Keep in mind that it's almost impossible to see it from most every location inside the park, but I kept watching nonetheless. As I was exiting the park through the hand-stamp exit, I glanced over the fence and saw what I THINK was the backdrop to the wavepool. From what I saw, it appeared to look like a giant wave, or at least the middle of it looked like that. Next time I'm at the park, I'll try and get a better look, and pictures if I can. Check out the pics below. You'll see Mako/Hammerhead have both been painted to match the new brighter look of the park, Tornado is coming alons, and Bahama Blast is one slide segement away from being complete, well at least the slide portion (the segment that is left is sitting in one big piece in the parking lot). They were still working hard when I left so by the end of the weekend, there could be noticable progress (a few segments of Tornado and a support for Bahama Blast were all added in the 6 hours I was at the park). Well, enjoy!

http://photobucket.com/albums/y208/CoasterLover/SFA051305/

Very Nice. I like the new colors. I may just have to stop down opening day of Hurricane Harbour to check it out.

I didn't even know the park was open today... o well. Seems like my friends and I will go to Superman first due to 1 train operation. Does Batwing have 3 trains again? Was Krypton Comet testing or operation?

Hurricane Harbors colors brightens my day. Mako/Hammerhead colors look very akward to me, but in the end I will enjoy them. I know Six Flags history, but I can't seem to find info about Hurricane Harbor (how they got the name for the waterparks and they're history or story). Does anybody know the history or story behind Hurricane Harbor waterparks?

Batwing only has two trains on the circut, the third is yet to be put on the tracks. Batwing was running both trains today (5/14). Krypton Comet was not testing this weekend. There's something seriously wrong and it will be another week or two AT LEAST until it reopens.

Here is the Hurricane Harbor story as told at SFGAdv's HH:

-----------------------------------------------
"The Tale of Hurricane Harbor"
In 1898, Professor Copernicus T. Potter, a noted English inventor, set sail on a voyage in search of the fabled fountain of youth.

After seven years and three months at sea, his ship was caught in the eye of a ferocious hurricane and, by luck and happenstance, was washed up on these shores; which he named "Hurricane Harbor."

The friendly inhabitants of the island, known as the Bada Bing Tribe, welcomed Professor Potter and adopted him into their clan.

The Bada Bings were given many wonderful inventions by the professor and, in return, they fulfilled his quest by sharing with him their greatest treasure, Aquatopia, the waters of Eternal Youth.

It is in this happy place, where, even today, Professor Potter and the Bada Bings live in idyllic bliss.

They invite each of you to be young at heart and to enjoy the wholesome fun and family adventure of Hurricane Harbor.
-----------------------------------------------

New pics of the construction up now, they are making A LOT of progress this weekend (Today alone saw about 6 pieces of Tornado go up in the 4 hours I was at the park), and I have no doubt that they will be ready by May 28th.

Click here for the pics:
http://photobucket.com/albums/y208/CoasterLover/SFA051405/

*** Edited 5/14/2005 8:30:10 PM UTC by Coaster Lover***

Great, i'm going next weekend so hopefully they will have the red train on SM open and also Batwing's second train open. Was it really busy today (saturday)?

Wasn't too bad, but it's not like things were walk-ons. All coastes were about a 10-20 minute wait throughout the day with the exception of Superman which, with only one train, had a wait of about 30-45 minutes most of the day. As usual for SFA, the midways looked very crowded, but the lines wern't too bad as long as you were willing to wait a little bit.

Thanks for the pictures again. I'm getting more excited with each update. Now I'm just hoping the weather will be nice (but on the other hand if it's cold, that means less people to contend with).