Great article, Coaster! You offered some good tips, especially about riding the water rides early in the day. Always a good thing to do.
I agree with you about getting to the front of the Marvel Cave tour. We've done that several times, and those tours are the most memorable and enjoyable. It's great to develop a rapport with your tour guide. And the guides are always thrilled to have one-on-one conversations during the tours.
I'm also glad someone else feels the way I do about the crowds in the parking lot. I always get in line for the tram and look around me thinking: "Man, the park is going to be packed today", and it never is. For some reason, I feel this way every time the parking lot is crowded. I just don't remember that a crowded parking lot doesn't necessarily mean a crowded park.
It'll be interesting to see how the park handles all of the construction that is going on right now. It's been a long time since there has been this much construction. Could disrupt the park a bit on crowded days.