Coaster Cruise 5

[Harpo]

Well, the Big Trip starts with Day 0 tomorrow evening. (Day 0 is just getting to the starting point -- flying to Spokane, WA. Actual park visits start the following day.)

Because of the rapid pace and very limited flexibility of the trip, I can't guarantee I'd be able to meet anyone anywhere, but here's the schedule in case anyone is able and desires to get to any of these parks at about the same time. Although I'll have my laptop with me, and I've recorded access numbers for every hotel on the trip, I can't guarantee that I'll be checking messages, since I'm likely to be a bit tired each evening! If anyone is interested in visiting these parks at the same time, your best bet for contacting me is to go directly to my EMAIL -- after tomorrow around 1 PM Eastern Time (June 16) I probably won't check this message board until after I get back. As an FYI, my girlfriend will be with me for part of the trip, starting at Marine World on June 20th, and ending on June 27th.

2004 Coaster Cruise Itinerary

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

Flight departs Detroit 5:30 PM, arrives Spokane 9:17 PM

Drive 0:30 (22 miles)

Hotel: Best Western Peppertree Liberty Lake Inn

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Depart hotel: 10:00 AM

Drive 1:00 (32 miles)

Silverwood, Athol, ID
Visit: 11:00 AM * 2:00 PM
Coasters: 3 adult, 1 family
Hours: 11:00 AM * 7:00 PM

Drive 6:00 (327 miles)

Fun Forest, Seattle, WA
Visit: 8:00 PM * 9:00 PM
Coasters: 1 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 12:00 PM * 9:00 or 10:00 PM

Drive 3:00 (137 miles)

Hotel: Radisson Hotel Burnaby

Friday, June 18, 2004

Depart hotel: 9:45 AM

Drive 0:15 (3 miles)

Playland, Vancouver, BC
Visit: 10:00 AM * 1:00 PM
Coasters: 3 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 5:00 PM

Drive 3:30 (165 miles)

Enchanted Village, Federal Way, WA
Visit: 4:30 PM * 7:00 PM
Coasters: 3 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 7:00 PM

Drive 4:00 (198 miles)

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express

Saturday, June 19, 2004

Depart hotel: 9:40 AM

Drive 0:20 (7 miles)

Enchanted Forest, Turner, OR
Visit: 10:00 AM * 12:00 PM
Coasters: 2 adult
Hours: 9:30 AM * 6:00 PM (rides open at 10:00 AM)

Drive 0:10 (1 mile)

Thrill-Ville USA, Turner, OR
Visit: 12:10 PM * 1:10 PM
Coasters: 1 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 11:00 AM * 6:00 PM

Drive 1:30 (52 miles)

Oaks Park, Portland, OR
Visit: 2:40 PM * 3:40 PM
Coasters: 1 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 12:00 PM * 10:00 PM

Drive 10:30 (491 miles)

Hotel: Best Western Trailside Inn

Sunday, June 20, 2004

Depart hotel: 9:00 AM

Drive 2:00 (88 miles)

Wild Island, Sparks, NV
Visit: 11:00 AM * 12:00 PM
Coasters: 1 adult
Hours: 11:00 AM * 7:00 PM

Drive 4:00 (192 miles)

Six Flags Marine World, Vallejo, CA
Visit: 4:00 PM * 8:00 PM
Coasters: 6 adult, 2 family
Hours: 10:00 AM * 8:00 PM

Drive 1:00 (32 miles)

Hotel: Adante Hotel

Monday, June 21, 2004

Depart hotel: 8:45 AM

Drive 1:15 (43 miles)

Paramount's Great America, Santa Clara, CA
Visit: 10:00 AM * 3:00 PM
Coasters: 6 adult, 2 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 6:00 PM

Drive 1:00 (40 miles)

Bonfante Gardens, Gilroy, CA
Visit: 4:00 PM * 5:00 PM
Coasters: 1 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 11:00 AM * 5:00 PM

Drive 1:00 (31 miles)

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CA
Visit: 6:00 PM * 8:00 PM
Coasters: 2 adult, 1 junior
Hours 11:00 AM * 10:00 PM

Drive 5:30 (263 miles)

Hotel: Best Western Liberty Inn

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Depart hotel: 8:15 AM

Drive 1:45 (74 miles)

Universal Studios, Hollywood, CA
Visit: 9:00 AM * 1:00 PM
Coasters: 1 adult
Hours: 9:00 AM * 7:00 PM

Drive 0:45 (26 miles)

Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA
Visit: 1:45 PM * 9:00 PM
Coasters: 14 adult, 2 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 10:00 PM

Drive 1:45 (76 miles)

Scandia, Ontario, CA
Visit: 10:45 PM * 12:00 AM
Coasters: 1 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 12:00 AM

Drive 1:00 (41 miles)

Hotel: Radisson Resort Knott's Berry Farm

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Depart hotel: 8:30 AM

Drive 1:30 (53 miles)

Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom, Redlands, CA
Visit: 10:00 AM * 11:00 AM
Coasters: 1 adult, 1 family
Hours: 10:00 AM * 10:00 PM

Drive 0:30 (19 miles)

Castle Amusement Park, Riverside, CA
Visit: 11:30 AM * 12:30 PM
Coasters: 2 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 5:00 PM

Drive 1:00 (36 miles)

Adventure City, Anaheim, CA
Visit: 1:30 PM * 2:30 PM
Coasters: 1 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 5:00 PM

Drive 0:15 (2 miles)

Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA
Visit: 2:45 PM * 7:45 PM
Coasters: 5 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 8:00 PM

Optional: Go to Disneyland (open until 11 PM) and/or California Adventure
(open until 9 PM)
Optional: Visit Pacific Park (open until 11 PM)

Drive 0:00 (0 miles)

Hotel: Radisson Resort Knott's Berry Farm

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Depart hotel: 7:30 AM

Drive 0:30 (8 miles)

Disneyland/California Adventure
Visit: 8:00 AM * 8:00 PM
Coasters: 2 adult, 1 junior in Disneyland, 2 adult in California Adventure
DL Hours: 8:00 AM * 11:00 PM
CA Hours: 10:00 AM * 9:00 PM

Drive 1:30 (62 miles)

Optional: Stop at Belmont Park in San Diego (open until 11 PM)

Hotel: Inns Of America Suites * San Diego

Friday, June 25, 2004

Depart hotel: 9:45 AM

Drive 0:15 (2 miles)

Legoland, Carlsbad, CA
Visit: 10:00 AM * 2:00 PM
Coasters: 2 adult, 2 family
Hours: 10:00 AM * 6:00 PM

Drive 1:00 (30 miles)

Sea World San Diego, San Diego, CA
Visit: 3:00 PM * 6:00 PM
Coasters: 1 adult
Hours: 9:00 AM * 10:00 PM

Drive 0:15 (2 miles)

Belmont Park, San Diego, CA
Visit: 6:15 PM * 7:15 PM
Coasters: 1 adult
Hours: 11:00 AM * 12:00 AM

Drive 6:45 (352 miles)

Hotel: Hampton Inn Phoenix * I-10 West

Saturday, June 26, 2004

Depart hotel: 9:30 AM

Drive 0:30 (13 miles)

Castles-n-Coasters, Phoenix, AZ
Visit: 10:00 AM * 2:00 PM -- rides open at noon
Coasters: 1 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 12:00 AM


Note: Lose 1 hour for time zone change going into New Mexico

Drive 8:00 (451 miles)

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express

Sunday, June 27, 2004

Depart hotel: 10:30 AM

Drive 0:30 (11 miles)

Intermediate stop

Drive 0:30 (10 miles)

Cliff's Amusement Park, Albuquerque, NM
Visit: 1:00 PM * 3:00 PM
Coasters: 2 adult
Hours: 1:00 PM * 8:00 PM

Drive 8:00 (437 miles)

Hotel: La Quinta Inn Denver Cherry Creek

Monday, June 28, 2004

Depart hotel: 9:30 AM

Drive 0:30 (8 miles)

Six Flags Elitch Gardens, Denver, CO
Visit: 10:00 AM * 5:30 PM
Coasters: 6 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 10:00 AM * 10:00 PM

Drive 0:30 (5 miles)

Lakeside Amusement Park, Denver, CO
Visit: 6:00 PM * 8:00 PM
Coasters: 2 adult, 2 junior
Hours: 6:00 PM * 10:00 PM

Drive 6:15 (356 miles)

Hotel: Comfort Inn

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Depart hotel: 8:30 AM

Drive 3:30 (175 miles)

Lagoon, Farmington, UT
Visit: 12:00 PM * 5:00 PM
Coasters: 5 adult, 1 junior
Hours: 11:00 AM * 10:00 PM

Drive 1:00 (39 miles)

Julie's house

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Depart Julie's house 7:45 AM

Drive 0:45 (28 miles)

Salt Lake City Airport

Flight departs Salt Lake City 10:05 AM, arrives Detroit 3:37 PM.

Drive home from Metro Airport.

[Scheduled parks have 76 adult coasters, 28 junior coasters. Optional park adds 1 adult coaster.

[leonardofury]

Hmm being as I didn't see long swim over the atlantic I doubt I'll be joining you, Harpo. I'll have to settle with going to Alton Towers tomorrow.

[Harpo]

Unfortunately, driving through either the Pacific or Atlantic is in violation of the car rental agreement. Bummer. Those people at National Car Rental get so stuffy over trivialities like that! :D

[RCT2head]

what, no world record-breaking attempt... when was the last 1 from these forums, anyways, for most coasters in 24 hrs.?;)

[Squid2]

Harpo, three words...

Recreational Vehicle Rental.

Seriously, my wife and friend want to know how the heck you can enjoy such a trip, with all that driving involved? I'm posting my current trip in another thread so I don't treadjack this one.

Squid2

[RCT2head]

yep, u kinda treadjaked mine:haha: , i don't care, because it is realated, and i wouldn't care anyways.

[leonardofury]

Originally posted by Harpo
Unfortunately, driving through either the Pacific or Atlantic is in violation of the car rental agreement. Bummer. Those people at National Car Rental get so stuffy over trivialities like that! :D

I bet you can't get amphibous vehicles as standard either, lol.
@squid I wouldn't mind all the driving as long it wasn't rush hour queues all the way. I quite enjoy driving, maybe Harpo does to?

[IEATPASTE001]

Enjoy your Trip Harpo. We should plan a trip to Mia or CP or both when you come back.

[Harpo]

Paste, I'd love to get to one, the other, or both, and even possibly Geauga Lake.

Squid -- the driving really isn't all that bad, although it was certainly easier when I was doing the Northeast U.S., as the parks were much closer together. And, I get to see parts of the country that I haven't seen before, so that's a bonus. RV rental, I think, would be cost prohibitive. Everything I could find has a maximum of 300 miles per day included in the cost, whereas I'm looking at around 350 miles per day, then there are extra charges for mileage beyond that. And, of course, there's the gas price! Plus, most parks charge more for parking an RV, but that amount would be fairly trivial.

RCT2Head -- I'm not in it for record breaking, just for having fun! If a record happens to get broken in the process, that's great, but that's not my aim.

[6000000flags]

Expenses please?

[goliath]

I live in CA, and when you go to Great America, avoid Vortex. I am short, so when I rode on Vortex, my head got thrashed around. Also, on Top Gun, tie your shoes really tight. I didn't get to go on Invertigo. Also, Gizzly is one of the bumpiest rides I've been on. Demon is a short, but good coaster. When your on Drop Zone, never turn your head fully downward, or else you might pinch a nerve, which is what happened to me. The water park kind sucks, and the experience in the waterpark is even less enjoyable when I know I could have been iding on Stealth. At the Boardwalk, avoid the kiddie coaster. The other coasters in the Boardwalk are pretty good, especially the Giant Dipper. Also ride on the right sid e when you ride on Hurricane. That's where all the helixes lean. Bonfante Garden's kiddie coaster is pretty good, but the scenery of the Quicksilver Express (other coaster) is really good. I haven't been on any of the coasters in Marine World, but I heard that Roar stinks, and the other coasters are good. I wish you a great time at all of the parks, especially the parks in my area!

[Xzentrificenceo]

Well once again it seems that life got int he way of coasters for me. Sorry I was not able to catch you Harpo while you where in the So-Cal area.

[Harpo]

Expenses? LOTS! I wish it were less expensive, but that's the way it goes!

I had a fun time at Great America, but I didn't find any of the coasters to be remarkably memorable.

I really liked Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz. V2 was closed at Marine World, which was a disappointment.

Although I think the tune of the Six Flags commercial is kind of catchy, I'm now officially sick of it. I found it impossible to escape that blasted tune when visiting the Six Flags parks. At least once every five minutes, that tune can be heard -- it gets to be a bit much!

Anyone know just how old the girl is that's dressed like the creepy old geezer in the commercials?