Trip tips for FLA/PA/New England anyone?

Ok, I am visiting IOA, BGT, SWO, Wet n Wild, USF, SFNE, LC, GADV, DP, HP, and Knoebels this year. I ahve visited GADV, DP, LC, and IOA/USF before, but haven't been to USF/IOA since 2000. So does anybody got trip tips for all of them except DP, GADV, and LC. A basic plan(s) or detailed plan(s)would be very helpful.

If you go to Dorneyin the summer, and you wanna hit the water park, go in the morning. Than go to the amusement part in the afternoon. This way you miss the water park lines and the coaster lines! Although, Dorney rarely has long lines for their coasters.

At GADV, get a Q-Bot.....so worth it.

I've only been to Lake Compounce once, so I cant really help to much there.

Your topic is a bit broad here. Your best bet is to do a search of the trip reports forum for each of the parks first, and then if you have any specific questions, ask.

Fine. What are lines like at HP, Knoebels, BGT, and SWO. And what would you rate the premier coasters from each park.

Well, Knoebel's lines are always short due to their excellent dispatch times [when I say excellent I mean 20-30 seconds and you are out of the station]. Phoenix is the best coaster there [ejector heaven], but Twister is also an excellent ride [filled with lats, excellent double helix]. If you aren't a credit whore, avoid Whirlwind at all costs and make sure you ride High Speed Thrill Coaster at the front of the park near the Italian Trapeze Swings. *** Edited 1/5/2004 1:20:37 AM UTC by TalonJosh1491***

Hilarious. Those who aren't credit whores shouldn't ride the smooth Vekoma split corkscrew, but should not miss the kiddie coaster! Hmmmm...

-Nate

The Overland coasters pack quite a bit of punch. I think it's a must see precisely because, while it looks like a kiddie coaster, it doesn't ride like one.

It rides like every other kiddie coaster I've experienced, and it's substantially more boring than, say, a Vekoma rollerskater. I experienced no such "punch", even during PPP.

-Nate

I didn't have any probelems with Whirlwind. It's one of the smoother Vekoma rides I've riden. As for the High Speed Thrill Coaster, it didn't do much for me eighter.

Must Do's at Knoebel's: The Coasters (I guess if you had to skip one, you could skip Whirlwind), Haunted Mansion,The Brass-Ring Carosell,The Alamo

Must Do's at Hershey: The Coasters, Giant Wheel, Flying Falcons, one of the shows, Choclate World

There are several parks in the Sfgradv, Dorney, and Hershey areas. You'd pass by Sesame Place and Clementon on your'e way from Dorney to Sfgradv (or Vise-Visa). Going toward Hershey you'd pass by Dutch Wonderland and, of course, Knoebel's. William's Grove isn't too far from Hershey.

I am serious about the trip report section, there is a wealth of information there, and searches are easy since most put the parks in the title. Do not dismiss the tools avalible to you.

Anyways, also at Knoebel's, don't miss the Skooters or the Flyers, two of the best of the respective versions anywhere. Take your time it the park, it is not laid out in any formal fashion, so you could miss something if you are not careful.

Try to take time for the smaller parks if you can. Pennsylvania has many small, family owned parks.

Williams Grove is a qurky little park not half an hour from Hershey that has one of the scariest coasters you will ever ride. Really, I mean it :) this park is closed on Mondays. Also in the area, Twin Pines park may be open this year. They are supposed to have a restored Traver circle swing. They were hoping to open last year, but it didn't pan out.

Less then two hours from Hershey will get you to Altoona, where you will find Lakemont, and not far off, DelGrosso's. Lakemont, of course, has Leap the Dips, worlds oldest roller coaster, as well as the Skyliner, a relocated John Allen ride with a brutal back seat. DelGrosso's is a nice, clean park with some nice flats. They are also adding a spinning mouse this year, which are always fun. Altoona also has several attractions for railfans, including the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum and the Horseshoe Curve, a great train watching spot.

If you are going to Dorney, I would suggest also checking out Bushkill Park. It is not far away, and though it has no coaster, it has one of the few classic walk through funhouses left. It features a massive rotating wooden barrel, as well as a two floor wooden slide. The park also has a fantastic antique carousel that also has a brass ring catch. Last year they started renovation on their circa 1930's darkride, which may open again sometime this season.

Unless you have small children, skip Sesame Place, it is not worth the $40 to get in. What I would not skip is Clementon Park and their new wooden coaster. Even though Clementon is very small, this is a park you want to visit on a weekday, the weekends are insane there. Also, they are closed on Mondays.

Alot of these little parks can make surprising little side trips, and a cost and time effective. Crowds tend to be lighter at them, which makes them good weekend stops, for the most part.

Busch Gardens Tampa is a great park, very clean and beautiful, though navigation can be a bit tricky (not too well marked and all). Montu and Kumba are the largest (inverted and sit-down, both B&M obviously), and well worth hitting -- granted, I'd say go ahead and go for all the coasters. The others (Python, Scorpion) are small and many would say not worth it, but since their lines are hardly ever over about 5 minutes why not? Gwazi will get a longish line, so it would be best to hit that first, though both sides may not be open first thing in the morning so be prepared to return later in the day.

Line lengths: depending on when you're going, anywhere from 5 minutes to about 40 for the larger coasters in the heaviest part of the day. Of course the general rules tend to apply -- avoid weekends, holidays, etc., and since it's Florida, I'd generally avoid from mid-June until the end of August if you're able, due to the heat and humidity. Otherwise, be prepared for a possible afternoon thunderstorm, which would last from sixty to ninety minutes between 4pm and 6pm (trust me, you can set your watch by these things).

I'd recommend the Days Inn right next to Busch Gardens -- it's a nice hotel, cheap rates, and only about a 15 minute walk away (all along the side of the park across the street), so you're not shelling out for the parking and fighting the traffic to do so.

Have a great trip!