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hey!! Pipe Scream spins. . and at last official count, it's still a "coaster"

I missed a lot, but is there really a discussion taking place about whether a Boardwalk-Bullet-style wood coaster (or any wood coaster) costs a park more than a Wild Mouse? It’s not just about the upfront cost. This is a lift-driven small steel coaster that will operate 6 months out of the year. It probably won’t need any meaningful track work whatsoever for decades. The ride is different than anything they have because it spins, it’s cheap to build and will be cheap to maintain. Replacing Wicked Twister with this will probably pay for itself over time and they can market it like they did something cool. A day ticket is $49.99 without a promo code and they charge less for a season pass than Fun Spot. Why not? It's not like they're pricing themselves like Magic Kingdom here.

Took my dad to Waldameer for Opening Day today and had a great time as always. Park looked fantastic, the new Rocket Blast slide is truly crammed in to the space it occupies in Water World (and it surprisingly is bigger than I expected), and aside from the train and Wipeout as previously mentioned, all rides were running. Wipeout has a sign stating they are waiting for a custom part. As usual, here are my observations from my brief visit. Whacky Shack was in fine form as all stunts were functioning and the line actually seemed to move. Waited about 10 minutes, but this ride is worth any wait! Sky Ride and Giant Wheel were walk-ons and the staff at each were courteous and pleasant. Ravine Flyer II was a one train wait and I have to say that even after more track work was done, the ride seemed a bit shaky this time around. Celebrating its 15th year in 2023, RFII is still one of my favorite coasters. I guess I may have just got a fluke ride. Some of the ride prices went up this year, as rides that were previously $3 are now $3.50, rides that were $4.50 are now $5, and formerly $5 rides are now $5.50. Considering the prices of rides like the coaster at New York New York in Vegas is $25 and Freedom Flyer at Fun Spot Orlando is $12, to me, $5.50 is still an absolute steal. And finally, I believe this is new for 2023 (if not, my apologies), but if you want to play any games in the park’s arcade, you have to have points on a Wally Card first, then use them to purchase an arcade card. Most games take 4-8 credits ($1-$2 each), so credits will go fast. And after years of tickets being spit out of the redemption games, now your tickets are stored on your arcade card. So be prepared to double up on your Waldameer Cards if you want to play any arcade games. Oh and if anyone ends up at the park this season, try the Strawberry Cheesecake fudge from the Fudge Kitchen. Not sure what I was expecting, but it is delicious! Wishing Waldameer a great season, and with the addition of Rocket Blast, I have a feeling it’s going to be a big one for them!

Man, they really are building someone’s insane No Limits fantasy in real life. I’m not actually convinced that it will be a better ride this way, but I’m still amazed that they’re really doing it… Source: CP Rundown on Facebook

Probably, when you consider it's going to have a larger footprint. CP also wanted to spruce up their new area. Placing something that couldn't essentially fit into a square box would have been more difficult, and probably not do-able without moving a lot of things around. It most definitely would have put a damper on the open feeling they seemed like they went for. Maybe a family group of 3 doesn't want to ride with a stranger to dampen the family experience? It would be a buzz kill for us to have some grown dude wearing a Mystic Timbers shirt and sun glasses straps tagging along, with his souvenir cup full of 1000 calories hidden nearby in a bush. Or, anyone else for that matter. "Hey kids, let's go on this family ride so we have to awkwardly interact with a stranger." This ride jist ain't fer yew, bud. Thems the breaks. Hey look everyone. It's that one guy who's never done your job, but says he can do it better than you! I haven't been reading the comments on any police body camera youtube videos in a while, so I almost forgot they existed.

How do they waste time on existing coasters at CP when every single one has individual row lines that get filled as soon as the previous train dispatches? They ask for single riders while the next train is pulling into the station. If you were talking specifically about operations on Wild Mouse, which has been open to the public what, 2 days? 4 days? then yeah they might need some time to figure a good system out. A single rider line would not solve these issues though, since by your own admission it's not a coaster for enthusiasts, and enthusiasts are the only people who go to parks alone. Seriously, for someone who goes to the park "15 times a year," I think you'd notice how things operate a little better.

I was able to quickly pop into SeaWorld for a ride on Pipeline and I was very impressed. When it was announced and under construction, I was never too hyped for it since I'm so-so about stand-ups (I really only like Riddler and Scorcher) so I was skeptical of bringing the concept back. I will say it is vastly improved with this design. The 2 across seating, vest restraints, and dampening do wonders for the ride experience. I love the open air trains and how you "jump" on the airtime hills. The train design really make a great ride that otherwise has a pretty bland and boring layout. Even after just a single ride, I can pretty confidently say it's my second favorite in the park behind Mako. I'll be back for more rides in a few weeks, hopefully once Mako reopens from refurbishment. I am also very happy to see B&M expand their horizons, particularly with this coaster and Mandrill Mayhem at Chessington. I think those are the two most unique B&Ms ever built and I love to see it. It's also worth noting that the area looks great. It was reminding me of HangTime's theming at Knott's - a very similar vibe (obviously). The color scheme is gorgeous and the kinetics of the area is great. They placed it in a perfect location. I was worried they would "pull a Pantheon" and just plop the ride down with no immersion but I would say they did a fine enough job for what it is.

As a former ride op, it takes about 5 seconds to yell out for single riders, and the filled seats more than make up for the seconds lost searching for singles. Unfortunately it’s something that rarely happens at any park anymore.

FYI, for anyone looking at going to BGW this summer who has access to Tickets At Work (ticketsatwork.com), there is currently a sale going on - $59.99 for a two-day ticket, good at both BGW and Water Country USA. I called the park today and confirmed that it could be used at the same park two days. It's called a "Memorial Day Sale," so I'm not sure how long it's going for, so act quick if you're interested.

Boardwalk Bullet is a bigger footprint than Wild Mouse, but sure....that gets really damned close. Really? Will they? Personally I wouldn't be trying to squeeze some random Typical-Coaster-Enthuiast in with a single mom and her two kids. I have never seen coaster operations at any CF park get held up from the grouper asking for singles.

I don't really do trip reports but here's what I got... The last week in April I made my first Florida trip since November 2006. I visited both Universal Parks on Tuesday 4/25 and Thursday 4/27 (I went to Busch Gardens Tampa on 4/26 and Sea World on 4/28). I had purchased a Power Pass on the fall 2022 and intended to go sometime in November-January but life got in the way, including the passing of my dad. So this trip was just what I needed after a hectic fall and winter. VelociCoaster may be my new number 1. It definitely overtook Intimidator 305 as my favorite steel but, given I haven't ridden El Toro since 2008, I think I have to claim it as my current favorite. The combination of theming, inversions, ejector, sense of speed, and just all-around fun make it the most complete roller coaster experience, in my opinion. I was probably anticipating Iron Gwazi a little bit more (it was over-hyped in my mind by a certain other YouTuber) on this trip but VC just blew me away. Other highlights... I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan but in the spirit of the trip, I watched all 8 movies leading up to the trip. All the HP stuff is wonderfully executed and it was fun to watch the die-hard fans enjoy themselves. My main regret is that I only rode Hagrid's once. The wait in line was over 2 hours and I just couldn't bring myself to go through that again. So, instead, I just waited for three more weeks to get in line for Darkoaster for 3 hours. Incredible Hulk with the new track seemed... about the same as 2006. (Kumba, on the other hand, still kicks all types of ass) I ate lunch at Mythos which was really good. Did Poseidon's one last time. Mummy was still fun as hell. I ate at Hard Rock and Chocolate Emporium and had a good time in those places. Also fun to learn that even though I bought the Annual Pass last fall, the pass time frame starts with my first time using it so I have another year to use it. Some random pictures...

Don’t even speak such evil into the world.

Big crane showed up at Cedar Point last night. Parked at Top Thrill and is being erected today. Seems many believe they will be working on the top hat very soon. Some rumors say new track on the structure. I'm excited to see some work happening and enjoy following along. Those things aren't cheap. It's going to be doing something soon. Update to add: hydraulic system is now being removed and can be seen on site.

We were able to ride 3x after work and had a nice 2 hours at the park. Pipeline really has a strong presence in the area and although the aesthetics are basic, somehow it works. Definitely not a Pantheon look and the water feature and sound effects were nice. We rode twice towards the back and once towards the middle. I didn’t notice as much of a difference in either section of the train compared to say Mako. There’s definitely a rattle, but it seems more to do with the seat than the actual wheel chassis. Both trains were running and the line moved pretty quick. The launch, airtime hill and layout were about what you’d expect but really what makes the ride shine is the movement of the seat. There as some semi-forceful positive g’s followed by airtime pops and it’s a super unique sensation. Great addition and better than you’d expect!

It's the Curse of the Curse of DarKastle! I'm meeting a friend there this afternoon to give it a try. We'll see how it goes. I read on Twitter yesterday that they were still working on the preshow room, too.

Went to member preview for DarKoaster last night. The rides theming elements exceed SEAS expectations. It's a fun ride for sure. The part that isn't great......as expected that capacity is ROUGH. I got in line around 6:35 yesterday and ended up not boarding until 9:45pm and I know people were still waiting long after me. If you plan to ride this attraction this year I'd prioritize it on your visit to avoid the line eating up a significant portion of your day. I cannot imagine for the life of me what the line will look like opening weekend. I would expect 4 hour waits next weekend on Saturday with what I experienced last night. The ride is cool they do switch up the themes between each of the laps, there are various props and projections utilized and you get to wait in DarKastles old queue. Remember waiting in that courtyard in the hot sun before? It's BACK baby and slower than ever! It's a solid add to the park and good reusing of the space but the capacity is..........concerning to say the least.

I'd put my money on BUDGET. They wanted a new coaster. It's been a few years since their last one and this fit a category and a friendly price while also investing money elsewhere and in other projects. That and the money being spent on the Dragster refresh is probably coming from this years budget and 2024. It's hard to imagine but the park is a business and doesn't have unlimited funds to just drop in whatever thoosies want. Decisions have to be made that are best and check off numerous boxes, including cost. Family coasters aren't meant for people who post on forums, You're not their targeted audience. Spinning mice are extremely fun and it was something the park needed. I really miss Wildcat and while this isn't that, it'll do the job. The park survived just fine with Wildcat in their line up for decades.

I just looked at the Waldameer website and it says that Wipeout will be back spinning in 2024, so I guess it's just a full-blown rehab. I thought maybe they'd replace it with one of Chance's newer FreeStyle models or an SBF Reverse Time. But it sounds like the Wipeout will be sticking around for a while after this season.

While I am fine with it, although I do commiserate with those that still have underage kids that are no problem, I think enforcement will be an issue. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind there will be shenanigans of the "over 21" person coming in with the kids and then leaving half an hour later or just parking themselves on a bench somewhere and having no idea what the kids are doing. Not necessarily all nefarious in nature, I mean think of Grandma coming in and sitting at the water park or in the shade reading while the kids run around and do their thing. The only way I can see this working is if the parks are prepared to unequivocally ban any disruptive teens AND their chaperones if a problem occurs or they are caught violating the policy. They have to be willing to put in the effort to check and be ruthless when people are caught breaking the rule. Plus it only applies after 4 pm, I can hear it now when a bunch of kids are caught at 5 without their chaperone. The Mom on the phone crying that they were on their way, stuck at work, stuck in traffic, Grandma died, etc, etc. Will they still enact a punishment or give a first time warning? What will the "punishment" be? I mean I applaud the parks for making some attempt to get the behaviors under control, and plenty of people will follow the new rules, however I worked in a school for 28 years and I've heard every excuse story in existence and have seen how people back up their kids even when serious rules are broken.

I usually flash pass. . . but that's because I use it over and over for Monster Mansion. (lol. . no, really. .love that stupid thing). Cyclone usually opens prior to rope drop (the rope drop is past Twisted Cyclone at the tunnel). My suggestion? follow the crowd and get a ride on Twisted Cyclone, then IMMEDIATELY follow the crowd back to Superman (B&M flyer) that has horrific capacity. . then head directly over to DareDevil Dive. . . yeah. .you're basically lapping the park and skipping things you'll want to ride, but those are the key two to knock out 1st. .as Supes and DDD WILL get insane rides later in the day, and will never get shorter. So knock those out first.