What's new

Lori's Trip Thread - The Spirit of St. Louis

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
Welcome. I'm Cranedude. This year......hasn't really been eventful for me.

In my neck of the woods creds are scarce. So sometimes during a year we go to a theme park and enjoy ourselves.

Not this time.
China brought their silly virus to us by Seattle-way and everything broke down.
March 5th we had started planning a Disney trip for before May. That's because May was the original Spaceship Earth closing date. Coronavirus gatecrashed and the Dollywood announcement I was looking forward to was binned:

By Screamscape -
"(3/13/20) Dollywood is still opening today for Passholder Preview Day, and is holding fast to their plans to open to all guests for the season on Satuday. But due to “an abundance of caution” they did postpone the planned media day announcement and activities that were scheduled to happen today.
As best said by Dolly herself, “The exciting economic news we planned to share does not seem appropriate based on what is going on. It doesn’t feel right,” Dolly said. “We need to focus on good health and praying for those who are affected. We know brighter days are ahead.”
Well said and we look forward to hearing the news when the time is right."

and the rest of the month was spent sitting at home.
Excitement came at the end of May. We were going on a trip to Gatlinburg. Sadly, Dollywood was not open during the trip. Nor were most of the pools at the hotels we stayed at. We went home kinda underwhelmed.
No Fear! We had already thought about a trip to the beach. Original thought was mid-June, that became July. Panama City was the original location, but somewhere along the way it morphed into a place we'd never been.

Galveston.

Texas.

July 12-July 17 was the trip time. We went off and had a great time.
On the 15th, we finally went to the Pleasure Pier. Which I had wanted to go to because of Iron Shark. We get there and I see the closed rides sign.

And my heart sinks.

The Following Attractions will be Closed Today:
Rock and Roll
Iron Shark
Texas Star Flyer


Iron Shark, which I had spent the whole month of June and most of the trip waiting for, was closed.


Spite.
We had a fun time at the pier, but never being able to ride Iron Shark kinda put a dampen on it. Regardless, I got my first inversion period since 2018 on Cyclone, the local Super Loop. And also did the Galaxy Wheel, Revolution, and Pirate's Plunge.

We left, but before the trip ended we booked another trip to Galveston for beginning of August for my sister Bailey's birthday. I think Iron Shark will be open by then. Texas Star was the only one that even remotely looked Corona-Related. Iron Shark was down for "services", whatever that entails, and Rock and Roll was straight up closed for annual maintenance. So when we leave on the 13th of August, I'll be posting about it on this thread.

I hope we have a good year ahead. Well, good rest of the year.
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
That is awfully frustrating! It is a shame to miss the creds, but equally Iron Shark is no world-beater!
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
...and then we went back this August and everything fell into place.
Turns out Sky Screamer had a chain bearing needing replacement and Iron Shark had the chain lift break. Both were open on the August trip, and I got them. So awesome. Yep, Rock and Roll was closed and will be till 2021.

But that's behind me.
Now onto now.
We arrived in the Smokies for the second time this year on the 6th. I'm excited to go to Dollywood. Then I see this.
Screenshot 2020-09-08 at 18.41.43.png
Awesome. Because of the Virus, it's now closed Tuesdays through Thursdays. We leave this Thursday.
Spite! +9. I'm not sure if we'll even go to Disney this year, so it seems that Iron Shark may be the ONLY cred I get this year.
F**k.
EDIT: I'm probably going to make the 2021 thread today. 2020 seems to be dead in the water, and I might as well post my yearly results.
Theme Parks Visited: 1
New Creds: 1
Number of Creds Total: 1
Spites: 9
Score: Z---/A+++
Closing Thoughts: I've been yelled at and beat up by my parents more times than I've gotten creds.
TLDR: Entire year went belly up and it appears Galveston Pier will be my only park of the year. Year f**king sucked.
 
Last edited:

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
...and just when everything seems hopeless, here come two more nights! In the same hotel! Not in a signature, though, but it extends the trip to Saturday, opening up Friday for a possible Dollywood trip! Yay!
...nope. Iron Shark in August was my only cred of the year.

Total park stats 2020:

Parks Visited: 1
Coasters Ridden: 1
Park/Coaster(s): Galveston Pleasure Pier/Iron Shark

This is the lowest ranking for my coasters in recent memory.


Now, luckily, in just 2 days we will be going to NOLA. And, the day we basically confirmed the trip (July 3rd) we decided to see if Blue Bayou was open and if we could get in - yep, we can and that will probably be our first park of the year.

Park Roadmap:

Blue Bayou Dixie Landing: July 13-16

Disney World: Sometime this year

Dollywood: Likely this November

Six Flags Saint Louis: Sometime this year

Looking quite optimistic! Hopefully I don't jinx it?
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
Make that 4. Mom and I read Blue Bayou's yelp reviews. The staff aren't more than high school age, they are very rude, at least one of the rides aren't up to code, and they con the new workers out of their summer bonus by firing them for bull**** reasons. And the food is terrible. Me and mom have at least seriously considered ****-canning the entire trip to Baton Rouge, and if my sister (who really wants to go) hears what they do at the park, I assume the entire sub-trip will get the can. Gutted - asshole swinging dicks no more than 18 ****ed my trip.


Well, at least we still have Dollywood in the cards!
 

FarleyFlavors

Mega Poster
Make that 4. Mom and I read Blue Bayou's yelp reviews. The staff aren't more than high school age, they are very rude, at least one of the rides aren't up to code, and they con the new workers out of their summer bonus by firing them for bull**** reasons. And the food is terrible. Me and mom have at least seriously considered ****-canning the entire trip to Baton Rouge, and if my sister (who really wants to go) hears what they do at the park, I assume the entire sub-trip will get the can. Gutted - asshole swinging dicks no more than 18 ****ed my trip.
Yeah, those reviews aren't great, are they? Seems they're currently pissing people off by charging full price despite at least half of the rides being down.

Always vaguely fancied a visit due to the fact that I rode their boomerang when it was in North Wales.
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
And, with one final mis-timed question and the maddest my mom has ever been this entire trip, Blue Bayou is dead in the water.

New Orleans Trip Stats:

Parks visited: 0
Creds done: 0
Slides done: 0

Spites: 3 creds and an entire waterpark of slides


Well, we go back home on Friday. Maybe we'll do Saint Louis next?


2021 really isn't looking too good if the FIRST trip of the year is spited.
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
And, with one final mis-timed question and the maddest my mom has ever been this entire trip, Blue Bayou is dead in the water.

New Orleans Trip Stats:

Parks visited: 0
Creds done: 0
Slides done: 0

Spites: 3 creds and an entire waterpark of slides


Well, we go back home on Friday. Maybe we'll do Saint Louis next?


2021 really isn't looking too good if the FIRST trip of the year is spited.
Or maybe not! Mom, as it turns out, is still somewhat considering the idea!


I will update on Saturday when the whole thing is over to let you know what it turns out to be. Gotta go see the newest Felicia advisory!
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
Looking quite optimistic! Hopefully I don't jinx it?
GOD DAMN IT! I ****ING JINXED IT!
It's October 30th, the Gatlinburg trip was for sometime in November. Mom's leaning on not going considering that there's an Ikea bed in our van that she has no idea where to put, and that she's held off until my sister's able to be vaxxed before I can get vaxxed. (That date will be most likely around Late November-Early December) We're thinking Galveston as a new possible place to go, but if trends continue we're probably gonna scrub all trip plans the rest of the year.

Urrrrgh!

NEW Lowest Cred Count: 0/0
Parks/Coasters: haha NULL




Gaaah.
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
2022 update.

It is now June. Last month Mom kicked around the idea of going to Six Flags Great America on her adults trip (which I was going to be at my Grandma's house for the duration of) but while the trip still happened, she didn't end up going to Six Flags. Before that plan died she was planning on getting a season pass and going again with me when the waterpark opened, but now that's up in the air. We don't expect to go to Disney this year due mostly to Genie related hassles and price increases, and Mom has instead floated the possibility of ending up at Universal or Busch Gardens instead.

Also yeah, that colossal Mid-Atlantic trip I mentioned on my profile status back in February 2021 died with a whimper sadly. Basically the only thing being proposed as an opportunity is Florida and maybe SFGAm. We might end up in Galveston again, but considering we went three times in 2020 and then wound up in Gulfport (GOD I ****ING HATED THAT PLACE WHEN WE WENT) and New Orleans (Pre-Ida) in 2021 we might end up in Panama City or something. Gatlinburg is a distant fourth in the possibility of going, although we could end up at Dollywood if we did decide to pull the trigger there. The Dells are seemingly not even an option this year (after trips in 2017, 2018 and 2019, we had planned one for 2020 for what might have been Kalahari but COVID killed that).
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
Update: Florida "probably not" happening.

I forgot to mention in the last update that we're broke. So actually scratch everything said above. 2022 might end up being my second year running of no creds.
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
2022 might end up being my second year running of no creds.
Remove the might. Mom and Dad are splitting up and Mom's moving out. Though Dad just got a job at an Amazon warehouse in Byhalia, I do not expect us to get enough money in time to do any trips in 2022, nor do I think my dad wants to.
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
An arguement a few minutes ago basically confirmed what I have suspected: we will not be going to Disney next year, or ever again. Kinda gutted bc I was really looking forward to all the big projects they had on offer, but with the family splintering and Disney hiking prices it was only a matter of time. Not terribly optimistic for 2022 or 2023 creds.
 

Lori Marie Loud

Giga Poster
Mom and Dad are splitting up and Mom's moving out.
Update: This might have actually opened the door to some creds. Mom ended up going to a friend's house in Wisconsin not far from SFGAm. And she's said that sometimes we can come over to said friend's house. That means that we could possibly end up going to SFGAm sometimes! If we do go it's very likely going to be during Fright Fest. Excited!
 
Top