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FistedColossus

Hyper Poster
As you may have seen in the trip planning forum, I have been away in California for the last 11 days or so. Initially we planned to hire a car and travel up to Yosemite and/or San Fransico. However due to time contraints we eventually opted to add an extra day at Disney and then Six Flags which turned this into a full on cred trip.

Day 1: Arrival - Got an Uber straight from LAX to the Knotts Berry Farm Hotel where we would be staying for the next 5 nights. Ideally we wanted to stay closer to Disney but the hotels around there didn't exactly look great value for money. Plus Knotts do a free shuttle to and from Disney.

Went for an evening walk to Walmart for snacks and Bath and Body Works where Mrs Fisted spent a solid half hour stocking up on quirky flavoured soapy goodness. Popped into Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, these seem to really vary on quality and this one was a disappointment unfortunately. If only I'd known at this point about the apparently famous Knotts Chicken Diner!

Day 2: Knotts Berry Farm

Took a left out of the hotel and walked under the testing Ghost Rider straight to the Knotts main entrance ready for opening at 10am. As per Cedar Fair tradition we honoured the Star Spangled Banner anthem, impressed at the speed and accuracy of which guests turned to face the slightly obscured USA flag.

First impressions of Knotts were basically "this place is cool as ****". As an avid Western movie watcher and general Old West American history nerd, I absolutely loved the authentic Ghost Town area. After a quick mooch around and a couple of "Howdy" exchanges with the wonderful staff, we headed for our first ride of the day.

Xcelerator - The usual 'start at the back of the park' technique would ultimately prove unnecessary today as the park would be a Ghost Town (lol). But still we were able to get a front and back row ride within minutes. After 15 years of Stealth rides under my belt I must admit Xcelerator didn't really do much for me, even with the lap restraints. But it's still a fun and iconic coaster. It looks **** hot with the fresh repaint and the general ride area looks excellent in the sunshine. 6/10.

Hangtime - Or Hangman as Mrs Fisted insisted in calling it, possibly high off the fumes of Avacado Flamingo flavoured hand sanitiser. Again, walked straight on to the front row. This was a good solid ride and one of the smoother Gerstlauers out there. It kind of rides like a family version of Karnan, with a Smilerish layout. Despite the rides name I was surprised at the amount of genuine hanging on some of the Inversions. Decent airtime too. 7/10.

Pony Express - Have never actually been on one of these booster bikes despite us having a few in Europe. Very short ride but was fun while it lasted, even more so when slapping the pony's arse. 5/10.

Had another, slower stroll around Ghost Town before heading to my most anticipated Knotts coaster:

Ghost Rider - This ride gets a lot of hype and I love a GCI so expectations were sky high. Much like Buena Park's Buffalo Wild Wings, this too was a disappointment 😞

For me it failed in pretty much every category. There was next to no airtime, the huge first drop was dull, and it wasn't very forceful.

We did return later on in the day for a few more rides and it did seem to be running a lot faster in fairness. Had a wild front row ride which seems to he the best place to sit. So overall its an average GCI, which all things considered is a good thing. Better than Wicker Man but the likes of Wodan and Mystic Timbers are streets ahead. Although I do appreciate this isn't a ground up GCI. 7.5/10.

Calico Mine Ride - A fantastic piece of history. Great to see it was refurbished and should still be going for a long time.

Silver Bullet - Only actually got on this once and it was as expected. Low to mid tier Invert. The profiling of the first drop is interesting, not steep or curved just long and flat. Nice and intense helix at the end. 6/10.

Sierra Sidewinder - Again only got on this once and didn't get a very spinny ride. Its a fun and fairly forceful family coaster but very short. 4/10.

Timber Mountain Log Ride - Another piece of magnificent theme park history. This would be our longest wait of the day at 20 minutes. Loved the amount of themeing in the indoor sections and the soundtrack is a banger. I've always loved a log flume and appreciate them a lot more now that they're all vanishing in the UK.

Jaguar - Was shocked to discover this opened in 1995 as it rides like its 20 years older and has weirdly long, straight sections. On the plus side it's a very long ride and the layout gives good views of the park. 5/10

So that was all the available coasters completed, unfortunately Montezumas Revenge was down for a big refurbishment. Didn't get a chance to do Thunder Looper but I have been on the one in South Africa which was brilliant.

Sol Spin - Standard theme park Top Scan experience, even on a crap setting they're still a unique and intense ride.

Knotts Beary Tales - Really nicely styled theming and ride with crap shooter hardware.

Calico River Rapids - Brilliant rapids with perfectly acceptable levels of moisture throughout. Immersive queue and plenty of scenery on ride.

Spent the last few operating hours reriding Xcelerator, Hangtime and Ghost Rider. We loved Knotts and had a wonderful day to start off the trip. It's very well run, the staff are great and it's oozing with history. Cedar Fair are a superb operator in my fairly limited experience (CP, KI, Knotts). Especially compared to the complete pillocks at Six Flags. For me it does lack a standout coaster which means I wouldn't be in a huge rush to return. Which is a shame considering the history of the park and the amount of rides they have. The rumoured Giga would be a very much welcome addition.

Non coastery stuff: After Knotts we headed over to the Honda Centre. No we weren't going to buy a Japanese car as our Uber driver queried, we had tickets to an NHL game.

Watching live sport is always a must do for us on US trips and this time it was Ice Hockey season for Anaheim Ducks vs Boston Bruins. Tbh all I know about Ice Hockey is that it's 3 periods and more importantly the players are allowed to stop to have a one on one, refereed fist fight. Much to my delight there was a full on punch up just 3 minutes into the game. I find it mindblowing tbh in the modern world of sport that this tradition still happens. Certainly makes the game more interesting. The arena was fairly empty so we sneaked into some lower tier seats for a better view. Still tired and jet lagged and with 3 full on Disney days lined up we opted to head back to the hotel at the end of the 2nd period.

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Not sure why the pics are rotated, just tilt your head I guess. 🤔
 
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FistedColossus

Hyper Poster
Day 3: Disneys California Adventure

When planning the trip I had this down as possibly a half day park. Knowing how crap the Paris studio park is and having previously done WDW's Hollywood Studios in a couple of hours; I kind of expected to just whizz through this park too. I couldn't have been more wrong!

We arrived just after opening time via the free Knotts shuttle bus, heading straight to Pixar Pier. Took a spin on the ride that looks like Blackpools Flying Machines before our first Disney coaster of the trip.

Goofy's Flying School - A decent wild mouse coaster, with slightly less intense turns offering a more family friendly ride. Theming was OK, not exactly Disneys pride and joy but better than Primevil Whirl. 3/10.

Went on the other spinny ride with the cool music and then onto Pixar-Pal-Around/Mickeys Fun Wheel. Obviously went for the swinging gondola and wow that thing really does get swinging. Really good fun and laughs the whole way round. It's things like this that makes Disney unmissable. Went on Toy Story Midway Mania next which is by far the best shooter ride I've ever done, along with the Hollywood Studio version. Best thing about this system is that the technology actually consistently works unlike the laser shooters you find everywhere else.

Incredicoaster - Crap name, great ride. I've said before length is a big deal for me with coasters and this one goes on forever. As always with Disney coasters it's glass smooth. Had an excellent front row ride. 7/10.

So that was Pixar Pier done ✔️ Next up we had a walk through Radiator Springs which is just incredible. The Cars films are a bit crap IMO but they've nailed the aesthetic of the movie here. Had one of the best meals of the trip here too, Chilli Con Carne out of an edible cone. Radiator Springs Racers had a massive queue so we decided to come back later (not realising at this point it had a single rider queue).

Avengers Campus was pretty cool, possibly wasted on me as I've not seen many of the films. Lots of interaction in the area with various characters.

Went into Web Slingers with not knowing much about it. Its a nice idea on paper and they've executed it as well as you'd expect but it's not a particularly enjoyable experience. I'd advise putting your competitive streak to one side and slinging your web with a bit more panache. I spent 5 minutes doing this...

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Which is great for a high score but not so much for appreciating the visuals.

We chilled out with a coffee and explored the various shops for a couple of hours and then went on Monsters Inc. Really nice old school dark ride, mimicking the storyline of the first movie.

Time had flown by and we still had 3 major rides to tick off. Next up was Guardians Of The Galaxy: Mission Breakout. I adore Tower of Terror and the spooky vibes but this was honestly just as enjoyable. Themeing wise it's the polar opposite to its predecessor but it works really well. Again its rides like this that makes Disney a must visit. The ride system is completely unique and its a joy getting walloped up in the air with just a seatbelt to keep you in. Loved it.

Radiator Springs Racers - Not really a cred is it? So ive half bolded it. Test Track is dull, maybe because it just replicates the 200 miles a week i do on the M25. This is a much more unique experience with world class themeing and a better track layout. 9/10.

Had a couple of beers and soaked up the atmosphere around Pixar Pier. Incredicoaster had broken down and didn't reopen so we went back on the fun wheel. Headed towards the exit for 8pm close squeezing in a ride on Soarin' on the way out. These have popped up all over in recent years so it's easy to take them for granted but it's such a great ride.

So that was DCA - was very impressed with this park. Pixar Pal Around, Incredicoaster, Midway Mania, Soarin, Mission Breakout, Radiator Springs Racers are all exceptional attractions. A great reminder of how this hobby is not just about the coasters.

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FistedColossus

Hyper Poster
Since my last post here I've been on another US trip, so it's probably time to quickly wrap this up...

Day 4/5 - Disneyland

This was the main event, Disneyland on Mrs Fisted's birthday! Started off with a pre booked breakfast buffet at Goofys Kitchen at 8.30am. It's clearly aimed at kids, with characters including Chef Goofy dancing about the tables - but good fun. Had a few Irish Coffees and some prosecco as well as a frankly disgusting amount of food.

Onto Disneyland, I'll do a quick roundup as a) I've forgotten what we did b) the rides are mostly replicas seen all over the other Disney parks which we've all done.

The first day was a relaxed affair, taking in the atmosphere and generally milling about whilst riding the classics.

A new experience for us both though was Galaxy's Edge. Rise Of The Resistence was my most anticipated ride of the trip. So much so that I watched all of the Star Wars films in the weeks building up to the trip (had only ever seen The Phantom Menace - shocking I know).

Smugglers Run was excellent and had a consistently short queue over the 2 days so we got plenty of rides in; pilot is by far the best experience. Stunning themeing and ride experience.

Rise Of The Resistance was a lot more tricky to get on so we swerved it on the first day. Waited just over an hour on the second day and yeah it's by far the best dark ride experience on the planet. In fact it's insulting to call it just a ride, its a world class experience. I had avoided all spoilers so had no idea what to expect and was completely blown away by the Storm Trooper room. The previous simulator is so well done it felt like we'd genuinely been captured, making the 50+ Storm Troopers actually seem quite intimidating. I've done a lot of the trackless dark rides now and this one is the benchmark. One minor criticism is that the drop section could've been a tad more forceful.

A major criticism though is that the ride closes 3 hours before the rest of the rides and this was not made clear at all. We were using Genie Plus all day so I was on the app a lot and hadn't seen this stated anywhere. Went for another go just after 9pm and was turned away, so only rode once in total.

Overall Disneyland is an amazing place oozing with history. Could've easily done another day there.
 

FistedColossus

Hyper Poster
Day 6/7: Six Flags Magic Mountain

A bucket list park for not only coaster nerds, but us who grew up playing RCT2!

As per tradition, the day started with confusion and delays as my season pass hadn't registered properly and neither had the attached bring a friend ticket. 20 mins of faffing with the ticket office despite having email confirmation and having it linked to the app.

West Coast Racers - First ride of the day and it was alright. A nice idea and the duelling is well executed but otherwise its a forgettable ride experience. 5/10.

Apocalypse - Had heard mixed reviews about this but I thought it was one of the worst GCI's. Can appreciate a rough woodie if it has a decent layout, unfortunately this didn't really do much at all - 3/10

Twisted Colossus - Finally got to ride my username inspiration. Was unsure what to expect with this as I never see any rave reviews about it. Absolutely loved it ❤️

Even by RMC standards the airtime on this thing wallops you on multiple occasions. With the other 'smaller' RMC's ive done like Storm Chaser and Untamed there are a fair few uncomfortable moments but this just flows perfectly. The airtime is relentless with a couple of sustained moments that rival those on Steel Vengeance. Best of all, the mid course lift hill gives you a well earned rest before going through it all over again. Only got a couple of duels over 10+ rides and was fine with that. 10/10.

Scream - The infamous car park coaster. Not much to say really, couple of forceful elements, decent B&M. 6/10.

Goliath - Another one I was really looking forward to riding.... and another average Six Flags ride. The helix was very good and intense but that's about the only outstanding praise I can give here. Always enjoy a 200ft + drop though. 6/10.

Full Throttle - Not a world beater but this is an excellent coaster. The launch is very punchy and the huge loop gives excellent hangtime. A really fun ride from start to finish and certainly seemed a crowd pleaser. 8.5/10.

X2 - Was down the vast majority of day 1 but we did manage to get on it later in the day. Joined the queue which looked pretty short and a staff member walked past confidently telling everyone it will be at least a 2.5 hour wait, causing a few people to leave. We were on the ride within 30 minutes. This guy really p*ssed me off - turns out he was one of the ride staff as we saw him checking restraints after we'd boarded. Why lie to people with such arrogance? Very strange behaviour and very Six Flags.

Anyway, the ride was very good. I had maybe overhyped it too much as I didn't find it as intense as expected. I see why people love it so much though, its pretty bonkers 8/10.

Viper - Really enjoyed this, one of the better Arrow classics and actually not too uncomfortable considering how big it is. 7/10.

With the exception of Great Adventure, I'd happily never visit a Six Flags again. 2 days in this park was way too long - if it wasn't for Twisted Colossus we wouldn't have bothered turning up for the second day. SFMM is often compared with Cedar Point due to the similar amount of coasters and its a complete mis-match. 90% of the rides are either crap or average at best. The concrete jungle vibe doesn't do Six Flags any favours, it's not the kind of place you can relax and enjoy a full day.

Batman, Tatsu and New Revolution were all down both days. In fairness its an all year round park so not surprising.

Superman was running but the restraint wouldn't come past my shoulders. In fact it was nowhere near. One to avoid if you've got broad shoulders and/or a long torso. My first ever walk of shame! Was gutted about this tbh it looks fantastic.

.....

Thanks for reading. We had an amazing time at Knotts and Disney in particular. Caught a Clippers game in LA and done plenty of the usual Hollywood tourist stuff too.

Apologies for the rushed ending!
 

Peet

Giga Poster
Superman was running but the restraint wouldn't come past my shoulders. In fact it was nowhere near. One to avoid if you've got broad shoulders and/or a long torso. My first ever walk of shame! Was gutted about this tbh it looks fantastic.
Ah bad luck that is gutting, but if it helps the ride is remarkably forceless. It's actually amazing that you can reach such a high speed and height in such a gentle manner.
 

FistedColossus

Hyper Poster
Ah bad luck that is gutting, but if it helps the ride is remarkably forceless. It's actually amazing that you can reach such a high speed and height in such a gentle manner.
That's quite surprising considering how much noise it makes!
 
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