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^We'll have to see, if the rumors are true than this won't be happening until at least 2 years from now, and by then many things are prone to considerable change. I'm sure it will fit very well into the atmosphere of the park though. In fact, maybe this project was built off of that concept Old Guy put together so long ago...

Fantastic stuff.

This picture has me confused though -> http://flickr.com/photos/brianwhitmarsh/165096433/in/set-72157594162709671/

Where/what was this?

The thing is, if they do introduce Q-bots, the regular lines will get pretty bad, so you'll need one.

I have been thinking about it more, and I am beginning to see why these are so prized at some parks. If the park is crowded and everything has a 3+ hour wait, there's just no point in even being there, but with a Q-bot sort of system everyone could sort of set up a schedule for themselves. It's not as nice as being able to walk around and ride at will, but for the mega-parks on a crowded day it could be worth it.

Still, I think parks should really wait until lines get really bad before implementing these systems, and the $50+ variations are ridiculous.

As you all probably know, Dollywood has been utilizing a Q-bot system for several years now, and apparently considers the system a success. That can only mean that as SDC gets more major attractions, such a system is headed toward us. In fact, I'm pretty sure we'll be getting our own Q-bots in 2009.

The thing is, I abhor Q-bots and most all such systems. I know most enthusiasts and park goers enjoy them, but after paying something like $40 to get in the park, $12-15 for a meal, and all the other expenses that come up, I don't want to throw another $10 or so to be able to easily ride rides. The Q-bot system not only makes useless the normal line, but it also takes up certain (usually the best) seats on most attractions. I understand that those who pay more should get more, but I just don't like having to go through multiple fees to be able to enjoy myself at a park.

That's not to say I don't like the idea though, and DW's system isn't all bad: $10 for the first bot and $5 for each person in your family afterwards is a pretty good deal - not like the $40+ you'd have to pay at other parks.

Thoughts?

When I was there last weekend I asked about the new Coaster.  I was told it is a woodie and is going in the Grand Expo.  They are putting it between the ladybug and frog area and Echo Hollow.  I asked several people and they all said the same thing.  I also asked about Tom Sawyers landing and was told it will be revamped but will stay a kiddie area.  They said the developers have been in that area measuring a lot.

Mmmmm, I'm not so sure about this. Surely the employees aren't just telling everyone what's coming like this? It seemed to me that SDC always kept more of a tight lid on these things.

Anyway, assuming this is true, I hope it means that it will transform the Grand Expo into more of a fulfilling area. I'm sure the theme will be something really fun.

To be honest, I wasn't very impressed by Thunderation this week. It's definitely becoming very rickety; throws you around a good bit. So a nice, shiny new wooden coaster would definitely be cool to get.

~ "Becky" Joy ~

I noticed that in late November of last season.  TNT could use a little TLC. 

TNT has actually had quite a lot of TLC in the past couple of years. You'll notice that a lot of the track is fairly new, and much of the support system has been re-done in the last two years. The thing about rides like TNT, and with most coasters actually, is that the ride it gives is determinable on so  many factors. Where you sit, how you sit, the temperature, and especially the specific build of the person are all huge factors in the ride experience. Personally, as an enthusiast, I've learned to love rides even when they are rough - it's just another kind of experience.

Sad indeed, though a new area of the park out there will be exciting. The robbery scene was always fun, even after several hundred times. It was just a part of the experience... I kinda hate to see the train ride turn into just a shuttle, it's been such a fulfilling experience all these years, and so many families consider it one of the best rides in the park.

So I've been researching a bit around lately, and it looks like DW is pretty well pleased with Mystery Mine. It's a definite crowd hit, and though some complain about a little roughness, you have to admit that it looks like something Disney would have done. That being said, a MM variation looks ever more likely as being the big 2009 ride. A wooden coaster is still very possible, but from a speculative stand point, Powderkeg has hit the crowd a wooden coaster would appeal to, so maybe they want to go in more of the extreme thrills route right now and garner some big press. Then again, maybe the success of Powderkeg has made them decide to pull off the same kind of stunt again...

Anyway, it's been awhile since we talked about it, but my preferences are still leaning toward a wooden coaster. A GCII twister such as Thunderhead would be sweet, but if I would want SDC to utilize their terrain more and go more of the boulderdash route - maybe with a few crazy curves thrown in as well.

^Ah that's great to hear - not only are the other cubbies safe, but they're researching a better system. I'll be eager to see what they come up with, though most of the time the plain old cubby system works well enough from what I can see. The system mentioned earlier where riders put belongings in a container near their seat could work theoretically, but how much different would that be from the current system? Plus, some belongings can get mashed from the forces, and the containers could become germ-ridden and nasty. We'll just see what happens.

I realize there are a few things around the site that need to be fixed, such as IE bugs, but I just don't have time to work on it right now, and probably won't for a good while. Eventually I'll get some time to really knock out a bunch of stuff, but I'm really buried in work right now.

^Thanks for the clarification. Still though, while it may increase line speed a hint, I'd prefer they just let us risk having our belongings stolen. If they ever did move in the direction of using external lockers for rides, I hope they come up with a more sensible solution than making us pay $1 every time we want to ride something like at other parks. Being the Herschends though, I'm sure they've already been over this issue a gazillion times, and they won't disappoint us.

Very interesting, I'm glad to see them keeping the characters of the park alive.

What is Terry's website?

^Holy crap, I wouldn't have imagined. That's exactly that kind of crap I usually hail them for avoiding. Surely they aren't trying to squeeze a few extra bucks out of people like that when they don't even have a system set up to do it correctly. If they for some reason wanted people to use the lockers they should have more of them - but it shouldn't be an issue.

^Since everyone is always clogging up Branson forums asking what the crowds will be like on a given day, I'm going to put together and interactive calendar to track the most and least crowded days. It'll also be easier to know when days like "school orchestra day" or "boy-scout day" are, when the park is filled with bus after bus of the little monsters.

Don't get too excited yet though, this is one of those things that I'll get to eventually.

^^I don't see them making a fuss about that. Those rules are in place to keep people from walking around the park in bikinis and such.

This brings up another interesting point about SDC, in that they still hold on to the traditional locker system for rides - which I truly appreciate. Most parks these days are demanding that you pay a dollar or more to store your belongings in a locker before you get on a given ride. This can get brutally expensive if you plan on riding many rides.

I'm glad their stand-alone lockers aren't very expensive either, 50 cents is a steal compared to the several dollars other parks may charge you.

They'll be pretty good I'd imagine. Mmm, I need to get started on that SDC crowds calendar...