Which park offers the "Total Package"
"It's Fried?" That's better than the former name of the fried-food shop near the entrance to kiddie land.... "Fried and True."
I will have to defend PKI's food. I think it's all quite tasty, especially LaRosa's Pizza! Yum. Anything's better than the soyburgers and mini-pizzas with curled-up pepperonis that I've had at CP and Six Flags parks.
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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
You call that cardboard and sauce pizza? Yuck! PKI does have good food, but I have to pass on that stuff.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
Okay, can we all agree then that Cedar Point is about as close as your going to get when seeking out the "total package" park?(although I personally think Blackpool Pleasure Beach gets even closer.)
Not me DWeaver......
I have a bad feeling that I will get blasted for this... but....
I like CP. I like it's rides. I like it's ambiance. I like it's feel. I like it's location. I like it.
But I don't LOVE it. For some reason, each time I go, I leave unfulfilled. I can't place my finger on it. I leave happy, and thinking... gee that was lots of fun! But something deep down inside does not draw me back over and over again and again. I do not have any passion or zest for it.
This is really silly sounding, but I know when I walk into a park if I REALLY like it or not almost instantaniously. I just feel totally at home. There are three that do this for me.... of course PKI, but also BGW and Hersheypark. I LOVE these parks and cannot get enough of them.
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
Shaggy said:
Not me DWeaver......
I have a bad feeling that I will get blasted for this... but....
I like CP. I like it's rides. I like it's ambiance. I like it's feel. I like it's location. I like it.
But I don't LOVE it. For some reason, each time I go, I leave unfulfilled. I can't place my finger on it. I leave happy, and thinking... gee that was lots of fun! But something deep down inside does not draw me back over and over again and again. I do not have any passion or zest for it.
Thats exactly what happens to me at CP.
But when it comes to SFWoA, I love it. Nothing is wrong with the place IMO. Its a great park with some of my fav rides anywhere. I always leave SFWoA OVER satisfied.
I dont care what other people think about my comment either, if they hate SFWoA, Dont go. Less lines for me and the people who love it ;)
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Got Cheese?
I think if your park lacks any of the following, you can not have the "Total Package", Lex Luger notwithstanding...
Flats: good collection, good variety
Steel: non-inverting and inverting (at least one launched unless there is an S&S flat ride)
Wood: Out-n-Back, Twister
Food: good food, decent portions
I guess I should throw in shows and other attractions...for the non-riders...but if you lack any of these (and I've yet to rate anyplace as having all of the above since MS was "neutered"). But there are certainly LOTS of great parks that are very enjoyable....just that I've yet to visit a place that meets my (admittedly high) standard....
Hi. I'm new. Just surfed in.
Was enjoying reading this thread and thought I'd add my two cents. I'm mostly a southeast guy, so that's where I've mostly been. My home park is Paramounts Carowinds, but I'm surprised that no one here has mentioned my favorite park: Paramounts Kings Dominion in VA.
Certainly there are things I like better about other parks. The Anheuser-Busch parks, for instance, are more attractive in terms of landscape and just about inarguably have the best amusement park food on the planet! But with the exception of Gwazi in Tampa, the Busch parks are hurtin' bad for some good wood.
I grew up in Virginia, and visited PKD (back then it was just "KD") 2-3 times in my youth. I now live in North Carolina, and before last summer it had been about 15 years since I'd been to PKD. Wow, what a difference a decade and a half makes. With my Carowinds season pass, I can enjoy it free admission! (I wish a Busch season pass got you into all *their* parks, including water parks -- heck, even Six Flags does this [not their water parks, though]).
So maybe I'm a bit biased, but for sheer thrill no coaster in my book beats VOLCANO -- it might be a long wait, and it might be a short ride, but it's thrilling couple of minutes, and in addition I think it's about the most unique ride on the planet. I've been aching for it since last summer, and am considering the four hour drive some weekend just to get up there and snag a couple of rides.
To be on topic, I just think they have a terrific coaster selection! Consider the row of coasters on the "left-hand" side of the park: Avalanche (as bobsleds go, pretty cool), Volcano (da bomb!), Flight of Fear (I LOVE this ride), and Anaconda (photogenic as hell, but uncomfortable). And there's darn good wood in the park: Grizzly (my first "big" coaster as a child), a mean as heck ride through the woods; Hurler, with some great airtime (and a record length queue line!); and Rebell Yell (a classic out and back). Add to that the Hypersonic XLC, a coaster like no other on the planet, and you've got a great selection of rides to keep you busy even on a crowded day. (You can almost always just walk on to the Grizzly and Flight of Fear -- I think a lot of people don't realize that the "housed" FoF is a roller coaster at all, and the entrance to the Grizzly is sort of hidden, with the ride itself mostly hidden in the woods).
And the topper to PKD is the waterpark. I love a good waterpark, and there's no extra charge for admission! I love the way the waterpark is "cut in half" by walking under the Rebel Yell, separating a large part of it back in the woods. Man, when you're hitting some of those slides on a hot day, with Rebel Yell trails roaring by overhead, the Anaconda looping nearby -- it's like paradise!
Okay, food is mediocre at best. For for sheer selection of coasters and rides, PKD is a great park!
P.S. I also use to live in Harrisburg, PA, and haven't been back to Hersheypark in about 15 years (my stepdad used to work for Hershey), but I plan to get back this summer!! My stepdad says he thinks he can even swing me some free tix!
Nice to know ya!
Aaron
Jeff said: You call that cardboard and sauce pizza? Yuck! PKI does have good food, but I have to pass on that stuff.
This is surprising. I thought everyone loved LaRosa's! Maybe it's because I grew up in southern Ohio, and everyone down there likes it. Or maybe it's because the taste and smell of it instantly reminds me of PKI/KI. Anyway, I like it, even if all the cheese and toppings come off on the first bite...
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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
I lived in Ohio for 8 years and still could not aquire a taste for LaRosas. Yick!
I'm much more of a Donatos guy myself.... now why cant parks have that?
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
In that case, I suppose there isn't a park you could mention that someone else won't chime in about what *they* feel the park is missing.
So Shaggy you are probably right. A total package park is in the eye of the beholder. It's that park that gives *you* everything *you* need. It's the park where you feel your $40 has been well spent, and a place where no matter how exausted you may be, you don't want to leave.
I think to draw up an imaginary list of what a park must have to make it a full package, is living in imaginary land. It doesn't exist.
Shaggy:
You are right, as good as (I think) LaRosa's is, Donato's is 600 times better.
However, even better is Dayton's own Marion's Pizza. Tried that one?
-Dennis (writing from the proud home of Donato's)
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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
Donato's is a regional pizza chain that started in Columbus, OH. They have thin-crust pizza with a sweet sauce and provolone cheese under the toppings. Very tasty.
It was recently bought by McDonalds so I'm sure it will spread fast. I have no idea how far it has spread now, but I think it's as far east as Boston.
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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
If your a person that likes steel more then wood, then i would have to say SFGadv. They have three B&M's an arrow, a togo (ewwwww) and a few others. There is a woody but it is probably the worst i have ever been. For wood i wood probably say SFOG because they have some pretty good wodies in a world of steel.
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Treat others as you would want them to treat you.
If your a person that likes steel more then wood, then i would have to say SFGadv. They have three B&M's an arrow, a togo (ewwwww) and a few others. There is a woody but it is probably the worst i have ever been. For wood i wood probably say SFOG because they have some pretty good wodies in a world of steel.
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Treat others as you would want them to treat you.
Shaggy said:
I lived in Ohio for 8 years and still could not aquire a taste for LaRosas. Yick!
I'm much more of a Donatos guy myself.... now why cant parks have that?
Shaggy
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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.
Donatos? Shaggy, I thought you had better taste than that! ;) Honestly, if you're ever at PKI for a weekend, take a trip over you Hamilton one night and get some Chester's Pizza. They were actually approached by Taft before they aproached Larosa's. But unfortunately Chester's couldn't come up with the $150K start up. True story! :)
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Lotus Notes suck!!!
PointMan said:
One thing I look for in a park is overnight lodging. This pretty much rules out all SF parks. I wish MA had a place to stay next to it. I really appreciate PKI, PKD and CP for their lodging facilities. SFWoA really needs to work on managing their campground.
Back up there, bet you haven't heard of place like the Six Flags Darien Lake, the first Six Flags Resort, it has its own hotel and campground. Located in Darien Center, New York. Or the Ramada Inn at Six Flags, St. Louis. It ends up that there is something called The Ramada Inn Six Flags partnership, which is a chain of tourist class hotel accessible to all major interstates Six Flags parks. So, you can put just about every Six Flags park back in there, because these are also good lodgings. These are newly remodeled hotel with the spacious guest rooms lending to a comfortable, relaxing stay. Ramada is the value choice for the mid-market traveler seeking great service from a friendly, well-trained staff. Don't forget Six Flags Hotel of Ohio is beautiful.
Vertigo,
About SFWoA's hotel. This place costs as much as the Breakers at CP and isn't anywhere near as convenient. When I refer to lodging, I am speaking of on site lodging. SFWoA's hotel is not adjacent, it's about a mile away and you either have to drive their or take their shuttle. Can't sing praises for SFWoA's campground. Broken showers, front desk clerks jumping around screaming about moths, and a campsite that was too small for the RV I was using despite making reservations well ahead of time. You are correct about SFDL, I did overlook that location. I can't include every SF park under the lodging category, SFA has no lodging Oh, there's some close by, but it doesn't cut it. My best experiences have been at PKI's campsite, the Best Western just outside of PKD or and CP's on site lodging(Breakers and Camper Village). I didn't realize that that SFStL had onsite lodging. Lodging is important due my wife's health. Sometimes she needs a rest and the back seat of a car just doesn't do the trick. Also, when traveling with younger children, it's nice to have somewhere they can nap.
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