Any exciting plans for the New Year!

[Ansley]

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I've been thinking this week about trips this year. Anyone have any exciting plans they want to share. We are probably doing the ACE CoasterCon again, I already booked lodging. Everything else is up in the air. I promised our youngest, goes by Neb, that I would take him on one special trip this year, it was a Christmas present for him. Not sure if that will be HHN again, or another coaster trip during the summer season.

Ted

[s***@aol.com]

Hoping to get to Kennywood next year. It’s my favorite park and haven’t been there a few years now. Also may visit Great Adventure for holiday in the park. I haven’t been to any cold weather park for a Christmas time event yet. Still a strange concept to me. I should finally get to coaster credit 500 next year (I’m at 498), which means it’s taking me 10 years to get from 400 to 500, I’ve certainly slowed down on coaster credits. it’ll likely be either Iron Gwazi or Ice Breaker, unless the Florida fairs happen to have 2 new coasters this late winter/early spring.

[Heather Kendrick]

Post by s***@aol.com
Hoping to get to Kennywood next year. It’s my favorite park and haven’t
been there a few years now. Also may visit Great Adventure for holiday in the
park. I haven’t been to any cold weather park for a Christmas time event
yet. Still a strange concept to me. I should finally get to coaster credit
500 next year (I’m at 498), which means it’s taking me 10 years to get
from 400 to 500, I’ve certainly slowed down on coaster credits. it’ll
likely be either Iron Gwazi or Ice Breaker, unless the Florida fairs happen
to have 2 new coasters this late winter/early spring.

We haven’t decided on our annual coaster trip yet, but as a smaller trip we
are planning to visit Midway State Park which we haven’t seen yet, and
likely also go to Waldameer. We haven’t been in a few years and really like
it. I am hoping to make an appointment to visit the Albion Borough
(Pennsylvania) Carousel which sadly is no longer open to the public except by
arrangement; it’s a really old one (1890s) and I haven’t visited it yet.
(The fact that it is no longer routinely open seems to stem from a local
controversy over how much someone was being paid to operate it.)

For our bigger trip, something that takes us to Coney Island (NY) seems
plausible right now. Oddly, I (a Michigan native) have been there once, in
2008; my husband (from central New Jersey) never has. What else we might do
hasn’t been decided. We tend to make our plans in early spring.

[GodsOnSafari]

I booked airfare to Prague for May: planning to do Legendia and Energylandia with my wife and mom while we tour through Poland and the Czech Republic. Universal Orlando and Fun Spot Kissimmee are on tap too in a couple of weeks. Probably going to pull the trigger on a weekend trip soon as well, but otherwise it is Cedar Point and Kings Island being the only obvious places we're going for parks. I got to 1000 coasters last year and I'm past the 50 country mark, so I'm really dedicating the next year or so travel wise to other stuff I backburnered for parks and self improvement in general.

[Heather Kendrick]

Post by GodsOnSafari
I booked airfare to Prague for May: planning to do Legendia and Energylandia
with my wife and mom while we tour through Poland and the Czech Republic.
Universal Orlando and Fun Spot Kissimmee are on tap too in a couple of weeks.
Probably going to pull the trigger on a weekend trip soon as well, but
otherwise it is Cedar Point and Kings Island being the only obvious places
we're going for parks. I got to 1000 coasters last year and I'm past the 50
country mark, so I'm really dedicating the next year or so travel wise to
other stuff I backburnered for parks and self improvement in general.

It amazes me when people have coaster counts above 1,000. I only got to 250
last year. I’m a much more modest coaster tourist than many here, but I
enjoy what I do.

[d***@gmail.com]

Post by Heather Kendrick

Post by GodsOnSafari
I booked airfare to Prague for May: planning to do Legendia and Energylandia
with my wife and mom while we tour through Poland and the Czech Republic.
Universal Orlando and Fun Spot Kissimmee are on tap too in a couple of weeks.
Probably going to pull the trigger on a weekend trip soon as well, but
otherwise it is Cedar Point and Kings Island being the only obvious places
we're going for parks. I got to 1000 coasters last year and I'm past the 50
country mark, so I'm really dedicating the next year or so travel wise to
other stuff I backburnered for parks and self improvement in general.

It amazes me when people have coaster counts above 1,000. I only got to 250
last year. I’m a much more modest coaster tourist than many here, but I
enjoy what I do.
--
Heather, the Carousel Rabbit

Enjoying yourself is WAY more important than "credits". People have a way of turning something that is in it's essence fun and joyous, and complicating it in ways that squeeze all the fun and joy out of it! That's their prerogative, to each their own... But when I hear about tours where enthusiasts wait in longs lines to get the credit on some random Wacky Worm, while missing out on a reride on a one-of-a-kind ride in a far flung park, or agonizing about whether to rank a ride as their personal #16 vs. their personal #17, from where I stand it sure does feel like they are missing the point. Personally, I have no interest in any "credit" that can't get me a tax break or get me laid ;) YMMV

[Heather Kendrick]

Post by d***@gmail.com
Enjoying yourself is WAY more important than "credits".

That it is, though I would guess that for people who do a lot of
credit-hunting, the challenge of getting to ever more out-of-the-way places
to increase their count IS what's fun and joyful for them. I didn’t used to
count mine at all until I was well over 100, probably around 150, as I
privately regarded the whole thing as very silly. Eventually people started
asking me how many I’d been on, so I got a count together so I could
answer, and then I discovered that it was fun to check a new one off, and to
get a photo of a milestone number, and so on. I admit there are a few things
I’ve ridden that I would not have (and in some cases didn’t) before I
started to keep a count, but I don’t regret it. It’s fun to be able to
say that yes, I did ride the kiddie coaster at Santa’s Workshop – and the
ride op seemed amiably delighted to have a chance to send a couple of
cheerful adults around on it. I wouldn’t have done that before I started
wanting to tick off credits but now I’m glad I did. (I would have still
gone to the park, mind you, since I love that kind of place; I just
wouldn’t have managed to swallow my pride enough to ask if I could ride the
coaster.)

I don’t go to more parks because I have too many hobbies, too many pets,
and a job that gives me summers off but doesn’t pay very well. I still call
myself an enthusiast and I look forward to my annual week’s trip. Though I
count credits now, I still prioritize places I find quirky, interesting, or
historically important over big parks where I can get more credits. There’s
room for a lot of different styles in this community.

[s***@aol.com]

I count credits, but have certainly put that aspect down on my priorities over the years. I’ll still ride a “credit coaster” as time allows, but won’t go out of my way when there are other fun things to do. I think it’s fun to keep track, and even the credit coasters on my track record make my list a little more interesting.

[r***@gmail.com]

Post by Heather Kendrick
That it is, though I would guess that for people who do a lot of
credit-hunting, the challenge of getting to ever more out-of-the-way places
to increase their count IS what's fun and joyful for them.

Precisely.

This summer I'm planning to a two week trip that will have almost no good coasters. However it'll also take me to about forty parks with no photos on RCDB – so it's a chance to explore somewhere new without spoilers!

I also happen to enjoy Wacky Worms, believe it or not.

This hobby is different things to different people.

[s***@aol.com]

Wacky Worms are actually fun! Of all the smaller coasters, they’re one of the best ones I think.

[r***@gmail.com]

Post by s***@aol.com
Wacky Worms are actually fun! Of all the smaller coasters, they’re one of the best ones I think.

The best small coaster of all time remains HSTC at Knoebels – but Wacky Worms are well up there.

The slightly bigger SBF spinner is also pretty good:
https://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&mo=16783

[s***@aol.com]

HSTC was by far the best of all the small coasters for sure. I liked it better than most full size coasters honestly. So glad I got to experience it several times.

[s***@aol.com]

I haven’t been on the SBF coaster you mentioned yet, but hopefully at some point. The one at Jenkinsons is a possibility for me.

[s***@aol.com]

How’s everyone doing with their 2020 plans? I’m still hoping that my plans won’t get cancelled. I had plans for June, July and October, in addition to occasional local park day visits. June trip to Kennywood I’m hopeful for but realize it may not happen. As long as the park is open and travel is allowed, I will probably still go though.

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by s***@aol.com
How’s everyone doing with their 2020 plans? I’m still hoping that my plans won’t get cancelled. I had plans for June, July and October, in addition to occasional local park day visits. June trip to Kennywood I’m hopeful for but realize it may not happen. As long as the park is open and travel is allowed, I will probably still go though.

Delta cancelled my flights to Prague and Expedia is to reimburse me for my travel expenses to date: sucks but what it is. I'm not at all surprised by any of that.

I think we're looking at scaled reopening beginning next month here in the US (come hell or high water) and I'm planning to do stuff really from June forwards, but none of it is booked as of now. There's no reason to as there's no proof anything will actually be open. Park visits will inherently involve some advance planning but it will be on the order of days. Plus a lot of people just won't be going this year or next (some not for awhile).

[r***@gmail.com]

Post by s***@aol.com
How’s everyone doing with their 2020 plans? I’m still hoping that my plans won’t get cancelled. I had plans for June, July and October, in addition to occasional local park day visits. June trip to Kennywood I’m hopeful for but realize it may not happen. As long as the park is open and travel is allowed, I will probably still go though.

I've had to drop my big trip for this summer. It was a complex adventure well off the beaten track, and there were several really long drives in there – I'm not prepared to risk something like that and find half or more of the parks closed.

Maybe in 2021. In the interim, I'm focusing on a personal project at home.

[s***@aol.com]

I’ve cancelled my summer plans already. The parks I had plans to go to definitely won’t be open by the time we get to those dates. Looks like just local parks/day trips for me this summer (which luckily there are a lot of). Hope to make up for it next year.

[Ansley]

Post by s***@aol.com
I’ve cancelled my summer plans already. The parks I had plans to go to definitely won’t be open by the time we get to those dates. Looks like just local parks/day trips for me this summer (which luckily there are a lot of). Hope to make up for it next year.

Well, we were doing the ACE Con, KennyCon, SFGAd and more, I think I posted some of it above. Pretty much everything is cancelled. We may still attend HHN at Universal Orlando in Sept. or Oct. We are also considering the ACE Conference in Colorado in August, but doubtful.

Ted

[s***@aol.com]

I’ve already been to both Fun Spot parks and both Universal dry parks in Florida so far over the past few weeks. It’s definitely strange setups now at the parks. Sad no traveling this summer though. Still hopeful for a short visit to some other locations in October and possibly my first ever cold weather park December visit.

[[e-mail]]

Next year’s thread will be interesting. I have no idea how to plan my park visits for 2021.

[Richard Bannister]

Post by ***@aol.com
Next year’s thread will be interesting. I have no idea how to plan my park visits for 2021.

I have a folder full of plans for 2020 that never got implemented. That's going to be my start point.

-
I make Retro Games for Mac when not riding coasters.
Try them out at www.retrogamesformac.com

[CanobieFan]

While my 2 major coaster trips got COVID Canceled... I did make it to Belize and Honduras in January and I did a weekend trip to Texas with revisits to SeaWorld and Fiesta Texas as well as a random trip to North Dakota and Minnesota... And an AL Adventure/ SFOG weekend trip as well.... Picking up a grand total of ...7.... new rides, with only one being 'new for 2020', Stingray. Haha, probably my worst season since 1996 or so!
2020 was also the first year in my entire life I failed to make it to Canobie Lake :( so that's pretty shit.

Next year I've already had *two* cruises canceled, one because the ship is still being built and the shut down delayed its arrival by +5 months and the second because this season messed up ships being able to be relocated elsewhere. But since i got 2 bonuses because of those issues I've booked myself onto a Baltic sailing in late August so hopefully that will actually happen.... Trying to visit Gröna Lund (if the park is even able to open...), Linnanmäki, revisiting Tivoli Gardens, and also trying to do Walibi Belgium. Would also like to try and do a long weekend to San Diego
(something that had somewhat been planned for this year)

[GodsOnSafari]

There's a bunch of subtext. When I started heading north to the weird parks in Michigan (Houghton, Alpena, etc) I was enjoying going to some of those obscure credit stops and what those parks had to offer again. So I just kept doing it, increasing the volume and rate over what I had been doing for years prior. From a "new to me" perspective, last year was the second most productive I'd ever had and probably overall, top-to-bottom I visited as many parks as I ever had in my life. I don't regret it for a second. It's been a blast. I'm still going to do similar things, I just don't really have as many of them to do any more because I've hit most of the targets already. There's nothing pulling me back to do another run to the Kansas State Fair, Fun Spot Atlanta, Incredible Pizza Company Memphis, Sam's Fun City, etc etc etc.

That said, there's a lot of stuff that's come up that I kinda said "I can do that later" or "I'll do that when the timing is right", and now is the right time for me to do those things. it's a long list of stuff from getting college credits and a business degree to going fishing in Montana.

[Ansley]

Post by GodsOnSafari
There's a bunch of subtext. When I started heading north to the weird parks in Michigan (Houghton, Alpena, etc) I was enjoying going to some of those obscure credit stops and what those parks had to offer again. So I just kept doing it, increasing the volume and rate over what I had been doing for years prior. From a "new to me" perspective, last year was the second most productive I'd ever had and probably overall, top-to-bottom I visited as many parks as I ever had in my life. I don't regret it for a second. It's been a blast. I'm still going to do similar things, I just don't really have as many of them to do any more because I've hit most of the targets already. There's nothing pulling me back to do another run to the Kansas State Fair, Fun Spot Atlanta, Incredible Pizza Company Memphis, Sam's Fun City, etc etc etc.
That said, there's a lot of stuff that's come up that I kinda said "I can do that later" or "I'll do that when the timing is right", and now is the right time for me to do those things. it's a long list of stuff from getting college credits and a business degree to going fishing in Montana.

Congrats on the traveling and coaster count! Traeling is SOOO much fun. I don't travel too much anymore, but I'm also at 50 countries but most without coasters, and sadly because most were work trips I missed a lot of coasters. :-( My count creeps up now, but unless new coasters are built within 600-700 miles, and we make a special trip, I won't get many. Still plenty of smaller coasters around, and some major, within 5-6 hours of home but we don't get out too much anymore. Took me forever to get from 600 to 750 coasters, about where I stand now. I figure if I make it on 250 more coasters in my life I'll be happy, actually I'm just happy to hit some of my facorites or a new one every now and again!

Ted