Your plans for 2004

Now that you've summarized your 2003 in two other threads, it's time to look ahead to 2004. What lies ahead, coasterwise or otherwise?

My meager plans will include my usual trips to PKI and CP, with any luck to some sort of Media Day in the spring at one of those parks. My brother-in-law and his wife just moved to Gulfport, Mississippi, so I am hoping to work in a side trip to SFNO when my wife and I visit them this winter. I also hope to get to Pittsburgh for a weekend of baseball and Kennywood in the summer... I've been to KW three times but not since Phantom's Revenge was built.

Your turn.

My girlfriend and I are planning on heading out to Massachusetts to see some whales. Yeah for her, but we get to hit parks on the way. Yeah for me! Including:

Kennywood, Hershey, SFGADv, SFNE, Lake Compounce, Knoebels, & SFWoA (in order of appearance)

Other plans including going back to BeastBuzz in June, checking out Indiana Beach for the first time, and seeing if Holiday World can top their existing collection of water slides. If time/money permits, I would like to drive down to SFKK. The plans are made. Now I just need to get the money!

I received two Cedar Point season passes for x-mas, so my girlfriend and I will be making a few trips there this year. We are also planing on a trip to eastern pa to visit Knobels, Hershey and Dorney (now that we have the season passes.)

I think we are going to renew our six flags passes as well and hit woa a few times and maybe the dc area park. (Great America?)

Since meeting my girlfriend I have been to more parks than ever. I never knew anyone who liked to go to more than one a year. The eastern pa trip is all new to me, never been to any of those 3 parks. Very excited.

edit - Neuski, I loved my trip up north last year. Such a great drive, and SFNE was fun. I really wish we would have stopped at Lake Compounce though, we passed right by it. *** Edited 12/31/2003 4:17:24 PM UTC by eightdotthree***

Make a few more trips to Cedar Point than last year. Took me 12 years to get back to the Point, don't wanna wait another 12 and probably renew my SFWoA season pass.

Maybe visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Dorney, Kennywood, and Hershey Park and attend BeastBuzz this year (my 1st coaster event).

Going to SF Chicago, Arnolds Park and Camp Snoopy, also getting married in August and taking a cruise to the Caribbean and maybe catching a Miami Dolphins home football game.

For 2004 I'm starting off with a Caribbean cruise that starts Sunday!

As for parks I hope to go to Kennywood and Busch Gardens Williamsburg for new parks. For parks I've been too, I want to hit SFWoA (as it is my home park) and Holiday World. (And maybe PKI for BeastBuzz if I can) *** Edited 12/31/2003 4:46:14 PM UTC by Sarah Jackson***

I have Cedar Point and Six Flags season passes, but actual plans are very much up in the air still. First we'll see where I'm working in a few weeks...

Ideally, I'd LOVE to do the ECC's German trip, to the exclusion of any other "big" trips...

I am heading to Knoebles,SFNE,SFGADV,SFA,Orlando Parks, Busch Gardens Tampa,Hershey,Dorney,and the Wildwood Parks. I might hit Great Escape too.

My plans are to take mini weekend vacations throughout the year since I have 4 weeks of vacation total for next year. I plan to use at least 2 weeks to venture to the parks. Here are the parks I plan on going to (hopefully I will get to all of them)

1) PKI (home park)
2) Dollywood
3) PKD
4) Hershey Park
5) Holiday World
6) Kennywood
7) Knott's Berry Farm
8) SFMM

#7 and #8 will be when I visit my older bother in Phoenix, AZ. I always told him that if I come out, then we have to head over to California and hit the parks since he likes coasters too. That's how I got to ride X at SFMM in March of 2002.

Disneyland/Knotts in the end of February. I hear about my tenure decision on the 13th. The family goes behind the Orange Curtain on the 21st. So, I'll either be celebrating a permanent professorship or bemoaning the fact that I've been fired. Either way, it will be in Disneyland. :)

A few trips to CP planned (opening day; height of summer, Halloweekends), several others unplanned.

A trip to MiA with our kids, my god-daughter, and my wife's godson.

A business trip to the University of Massachusetts (where a former student is on the faculty) complete with a ride on S:ROS.

Truth be told, most of my parks visited are in conjunction with a business trip somewhere. I'm hoping to travel less in the coming year, so more local visits with the kids, and less far-flung visits on my own.

Lakemont probably. DelGrosso's, Kennywood probably 3 or 4 time each. Idlewild quite a few times since I have a season pass. Hopefully a trip to Arkanasas and Missouri with NAPHA. If not those, then NY to Seabreeze.

I took 10 trips this year, so I suspect I will travel much less in 2004. I'll be at No Coaster Con in three weeks and PPP in October, but other than that everything is up in the air.

mOOSH

My plans are still up in the air and they have the tendency to change just before the key hits the ignition in the car.

In March my brother-in-law is getting married in South Florida so we'll hit Boomer's for the DBH and Uncle Bernie's for the credits/kids. My wife's yearly conference is in San Francisco this year so right now there's a 50/50 that I'll get to join her. This is the last week in March which probably means opening weekend at SFMW and PGA (other options in the area too, so we'll see)

April looks dead.

May will probably be something local (Kennywood, SFWOA, CP, etc)

June is Hershey (Storm Runner), PKD (the last major park on the east coast for us to hit) and a beach house on Virginia Beach. Might even be able to hit Beastbuzz, but it'll be cutting it close with the aforementioned beach trip.

From there it's pretty undecided.

July could be a chance to pick up some different local parks (Idlewild, Lakemont) or local parks we missed in May. Plus my wife's company's corporate conference is rumored to be in Houston that month, so if that holds true, it looks like the Texas Parks could happen.

This would still leave vacation time for August, so maybe a shorty up to Darien Lake to get the third S:ROS credit? Depending on time/money that could even turn into a multi-day trip including Canada's Wonderland and other parks in the area.

The farther out you get, the more chance the plans will vary for us.

No plans set in stone yet--it's all dependent upon how the funds are holding up after marriage, honeymoon, and buying a house. The parks at the top of my list, however, are Cedar Point (I haven't been since 2000, Liz has never been there, and I need to experience Top Thrill Dragster), Dollywood (Thunderhead is the primary reason, but I also sense Tennessee Tornado beckoning my return), Knoebels (after my plans to attend PPP this year were shot, I vow to get to this park in '04), Hersheypark (one of my favorite places is getting a new Intamin rocket, and I have yet to ride Roller Soaker as well)--and I really would like to venture to Cincinnati for my second visit to Paramount's Kings Island (missed a lot of coasters the first time) and Camden on the way there (or home). I expect plans to change dramatically, as they always do, but it would be nice to hit #150 this year. I think it's feasible.

I plan on making my first stop at Hershey this year, with everything else entirely up in the air.

Honestly, as much as I enjoyed the "events" of 2003, with SRM, and PPP included, I really think that I won't so much as attend events as I will just go to parks when I can, and meet up with those that I want to see, or meet. Events tend to overload the rides I really want to hit, and there are typically too many of the types around that I'd rather avoid. That said, I will attend special events (ala SRM), if they ever have them again, as those are different, and involve cool riding times (night!). Everything else is probably off the map.

If anyone has ideas when and where they'd like to meet up for some fun this year, you can always drop me an email. I will be on the East coast a LOT this year, and I will be in Japan sometime in the summer months (probably early July), so drop me a line.

Until then, Happy New Year, and stay safe all my friends!

Rob

Its all up in the air right now, we have CP season passes. CLP and KW are a must, I know we'll hit those three parks quite a bit. I don't know what I'm going to do with our SF sp's, I'm not gonna waste my time at SFWOA. I have a wedding I'm in near DC, so if I can stretch it into a vacation I'd like to hit PKD, BGW, and SFA. As of right now I really don't care to much about hitting to many parks, I'm fine with CP, CLP and KW.

Since 2003 was a busy year for me, I'll probably give the credit cards a rest and make 2004 a little easier on the wallet. I'll be hitting all my local parks of course and a road trip to western PA is a given... everything else is undecided. There will probably be one big trip, probably California or Indiana/Michigan/Chicago. I'll have to see what "develops" during the winter months.

I hope to make one East coast trip this spring/summer. I have good peeps in DC, Brooklyn/Manhattan, and Boston; so with coaster and non-coaster activities that will pretty much eat up my travel budget and time off for the year.
Of course, living close to Knott's, I'm in for Solace and a very Silver Xmas Eve! I would also like to make it to Idaho, but we'll see about that one.

Sounds like a lot of people planning on Hershey Park this year. I think I am in that group as well. I want to do a Pennsylvania trip this summer and hit some of the parks out there in that fine state. Probably hit CP and MIA on the way out.

I will probably hit Boomers and ride DBH before my cruise in February.

Other than that everything else is up in the air. Some parks I wouldn't mind returning to if I have the time are HW, SFStl, and VF!.

Going to go up to Arnolds Park sometime during the season.
Planning a Pennsy trip in the fall to hit Hershey, Kennywood with hitting HW and PKI on the way out or way back. Maybe while in Penn hit the EBT or run down to Cass WV for a steam train ride.
Might try to attend the ACE Pres Con.
Be a part-time ride op at Celebration City the rest of the season.

JW *** Edited 12/31/2003 8:35:34 PM UTC by JWolg***