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No, they make them good now. /ducks

I had a wonderful first visit to the park today. It was everything I had hoped for and more. I am extremely excited to now call this my new home park as I move across the country from California to Florida. The weather was absolutely perfect. Clear skies all day and relatively manageable humidity, coming from someone who grew up in the dry desert out West. Even yesterday at SeaWorld Orlando was also perfect. We really lucked out with weather so far at these parks. BGT is interesting because there is no clear stand-out coaster (yet), and there is also not a single bad coaster. The lineup is solid and Iron Gwazi will only add to that. I was able to ride every coaster in the park, some multiple times, and we are going back for a second day tomorrow. Cheetah Hunt is awesome. It is glass smooth, has comfortable trains (I know some do not like those Intamin OTSRs, but since Cheetah Hunt isn't whippy and snappy like I305 or Maverick, they were perfectly fine for me), and features a totally unique and great layout. It doesn't produce any significant positive or negative G-forces, but it may be my current favorite coaster in the park for its re-rideability, length, and uniqueness. Kumba met my expectations, which were already quite high. I am not going to say it was perfectly smooth and comfortable, it definitely has some old-school grit and intensity which can lead to some shakiness, but that didn't take away from the ride for me. This coaster has put in WORK with year-round operations for over 28 years, so I am surprised it still runs so well. It hauls a$$ through the layout. I only got 2 rides on it today and I plan on riding it a few more times tomorrow (and of course, from here on out) since I now live here. This is a ride that I can see really growing on me, like Riddler at Magic Mountain did. I can see why it gets the hype, but I can also see how somebody may not like the ride. My brother said it was a one-and-done. I tend to enjoy coasters with bone-crushing intensity and grit (I actually miss Green Lantern at SFMM, I'm not kidding), so Kumba gets a thumbs up from me. SheiKra was my first dive coaster with "regular" restraints since the only other one I've ridden is Valravn. What a difference! Even with a simpler and less exciting layout, those drops are WONDERFUL when there isn't a vest crushing you. I have yet to ride in the front but the back row had great pull down both drops, and a sweet near-miss on the right side of the train when coming out of the immelmann. Montu, as expected, delivered. I am not sure where exactly it places in my list of favorite Inverts, but it is up there. I really, really like Banshee but also haven't ridden it since 2017. Montu feels very similar to Afterburn for me, just longer. The trenches are great and inversions are forceful. This one will also take a few more rides to get a better feel of it. Often I need multiple rides on coasters to get a good feel for them, but even my first impression of Montu is high. This and Kumba are a very strong one-two punch for those who love old school looping coasters that perfectly encompass some of B&M's best work. The rest of the lineup is also great. Tigris is good, but just like Electric Eel back home which I'm used to. Cobra's Curse was loads of fun and super unique and pumping out cars like nobody's business. Scorpion was solid and Sand Serpent was fine. The star of the show for me, honestly, was Falcon's Fury. I'm a sucker for drop towers but this one is on a whole new level. WOW! Perhaps my overall favorite ride in the park. Also got a chance to ride it at night thanks to the park's 10pm closing and it's just fantastic. There's really nothing else like it, except in Sweden I suppose. I'm stoked to make this my "new Supreme Scream", but infinitely better! I didn't take many photos since I spent so much of the day exploring and riding, but perhaps I'll try to take more photos tomorrow if the clear and sunny weather forecast holds. Overall LOVE this park! And once Iron Gwazi opens it will be even better.

Holiday World's woodies are definitely from another time. This weekend all 3 were TEARING UP THE TRACKS in the best way possible and absolutely hauling. Aggressive, forceful, possible bruising... only Holiday World could maintain those 3 as well as they do. Newer woodies are still fun but they might as well be steel coasters. HW's trio are classics that really show what you can do if you push the limits with old wood design.

I'm really looking forward to riding this in 30 degree weather at holiday in the park.

Steel Curtain was running two trains today!

I'm sorry, I need to resurrect this convo. Oblivion totally goes that deep, if not moreso. It's a 180-foot drop but because Alton Towers can't breach the treeline it's only 65 feet tall.

The park has quietly updated their operating hours. The 11-9 days are all gone. They've shortened the summer operating hours to either 12-8 or 11-7 . Every day now has an 8 hour operating day including weekends and holiday weekends until Labor day. On a positive note, they have added daily ops through the first few weeks of August on days that were originally listed as closed.

No reason to attack people for not liking a coaster that you like. People can have different opinions

Credit to @onlinehyde on Twitter for this, as I have better things to do than watch the Goldman Sachs Travel and Leisure Conference webcast without actually being a shareholder and there’s no transcript to skim, but there was an investor conference yesterday. Cedar Fair shared that they anticipate burning average of 60 million in cash a month during Q2. As a reference, Six Flags expects to be cash flow positive for Q2. Busch / SeaWorld is already cash flow positive this year. They’re looking to “improve efficiencies” (see: cut budget). The fact that they made another budget move on the same day that they said they were going to do exactly that must be a coincidence, right? Saying “kids these days don’t want to work... please ignore the fact that Six Flags is paying people half of what we’re paying them, staffing their parks just fine chain-wide, not cutting hours, operating 7 days a week and in many cases extending hours to capitalize on pent-up demand” is easier than saying “We’re absolutely clueless as to what we’re doing so now we have to pay people $15 an hour to work at Kings Island and we’re closing early for budget since we’re losing tons of money thanks to our poor decision-making”. Based on the comments here, I guess it’s working. PS: I’ve also seen the over-dramatic Facebook comments. Those people are ridiculous but that doesn’t mean Cedar Fair isn’t also a train wreck. Those two things can both be true.

But hanging out at a park won't teach you how to be financially responsible...LOL. There were things I wanted to do (take private clarinet lessons from a professor at MSU) but my parents weren't going to pay for them (it was not cheap), so at 15yo, I worked at our Dairy Queen. I took my private lessons and paid for them myself. Later on, I purchased a stereo system for my room. Quite honestly, the experience was priceless...learning how to work with money, deal with crappy customers. Get along with supervisors and coworkers, etc. I don't think parents are doing their kids a favor by handing things to them. After awhile, nothing will excite them or make them happy and in the real world, they will not be able to figure out why they NOW have to pay to live. Talk about mental health LOL. Hell, in my 20s, I worked two jobs and went to school. One job at one point was a paid internship so that one did contribute to the entire college experience/resume, etc. I really had no choice. I didn't qualify for a hell of a lot of financial aid and my parents couldn't foot the bill so if I wanted it, it was on me. Hello, real world. And, let's be honest....when I was 16, I made a whopping 3.35/hr at McDonald's! LOL Good times (it was a social job for me..made lots of friends and had fun).

I keep seeing this question popping up across multiple threads (and all over FB group too). . so figured I could start a thread answering the question: I'm going to xxxx park on xxxxx day, do you think crowds will be big enough that I should buy the upcharge skip the line pass? --> EVERYTHING is different in 2021. . . pent up demand from COVID closures for 15 months has resulted in every park being slammed, most every day (unless poor weather keeps the crowds away). Many parks are also dealing with staffing issues, resulting in shorter hours, and hella long lines for food places that *are* actually open. so the answer to "should I buy Flash Pass / Fast Lane / Skip the Line?" is YES thruout 2021, the answer is YES. the only reason not to get it, is if you don't mind not riding much, and just want to go for the atmosphere to walk around the park, maybe grabbing only 1 or 2 rides. (for example, your "home park" and you don't care if you ride much, you just want to go out and enjoy the day and people watch). Personally tho? if I'm traveling specifically to go to a park? damn right, I'm paying the upcharge to get Flash Pass/Fast Lane +/Timesaver, etc. . . especially if I plan to eat in a park, and I know I'll spend 45 minutes in the food line? I want to make up that time elsewhere on a ride. (steps down off soapbox)

Sweet jesus! What were they expecting, Woodstock 2.0?!

Have you been to a park this year, 2021? If no, then all of your experiences are invalid for this conversation. It doesn't matter what day of the week it is...unless the weather is absolute shit, parks are packed.

As of this morning the fire is back on for X2. Got a last row ride and felt engulfed in the flame. hope they can get the audio back soon.

Alright, I'm late to the party for the traffic photo, but here goes. I grew up ten miles east of the park and had a season pass nearly every year of my life up until I moved away. Being a local I knew to avoid the park on weekends and holidays but even then I never heard about 537 getting that horrific. They had some traffic concerns that were remedied, IIRC, back around the millennium and Premier's heyday. 537 used to be one lane both directions (I believe two lanes right by the entrance for like 100 yards) but they widened it to the three lanes, added the Wawa, Burger King, McDonalds, added those two U-turns, and it definitely helped smooth things along. I've never seen gridlock on that road. Not once. I've gone into the entrance and been stuck on the overpass in traffic to get to the parking booth, but holy friggin crap, that's just obscene. Who in their right mind would still willingly go to the park when they saw that at the entrance?! That's a crystal clear sign that the day will be hell on earth. Just turn around, get back on the highway, and go to the beach. It's fifteen miles away.

Damn it dont you tempt me lol

I have been looking at Queue Times for various parks over the past few months and can’t believe how bad some lines have been even during the week when school is in session (2 hour wait for Candymonium as an example). I wouldn’t want to go to the water park without it. On a hot and humid day, it was so nice to be able to skip an hour wait for Aquablast and wait a few minutes at the most or be able to ride all 6 Snake Pit slides before someone in the regular line was able to ride 1 of those slides.

The weather is supposed to be a little spotty tomorrow with chance of showers around 30 after 11AM. It may be enough to keep a little bit of the crowds away.

With modern coasters built in recent years with wild but very controlled experiences, elements like Legend's unbanked helix feel almost illegal! I love a great airtime filled RMC any day of the week, but hardly anything matches how out of control any of Holiday World's wood coasters feel. And I don't hate them. PTC's are more comfortable on me than Millennium Flyers because of the restraint style, and Gravity Group's wood coasters rank higher on my list than GCI's (they give WAY more intense rides and better airtime).

I totally remember the Millennium Force vs Superman days and like any good teenage virgin coaster dork I had them 1 and 2 in my Coaster Grotto rankings (in that order because... I mean... come on). I don't really think that anybody is boycotting the ride. If we took the top steel coasters and removed everything built in the last 15 years then the top 5 steel coasters on the list would be: 1) Expedition GeForce 2) Millennium Force 3) Goliath 4) Superman the Ride 5) Phantom's Revenge I don't think that's really that insane for a top 5 steel list that someone made 15 years ago. Goliath butted in between the two but they're still ranked pretty close together.

Seems reasonable. Nice of the park to respond to an inquiry about operations like that, it would have been easy for them to just not reply to that or give a slightly more generic answer.

NO banking in that helix is the main feature that makes Legend the favorite of many of us. And... the Holiday World PTC trains have twisting back axles. So does Ravine Flyer, etc.. What may seem like a deficiency in the "twisting" department, is an asset in another. In other words, they are fun roller coasters that provide kick, great laterals and air time (Phoenix, etc.) I would say the Holiday World woodies run better than any other wood coasters, especially for what they do. The GCI coasters lack a certain feel; this is probably more popular if you like B&M, RMC, etc. GCI designs rides that are more of what I call "modern woodies," great for corporate parks and patrons. Personally, I prefer more classic types. Good example: Legend - my favorite at Holiday World. Plenty of people love it while others (perhaps more inclined to B&M, RMC and GCI) don't care for it. I'll take true laterals; it's a taste that everyone doesn't share. And good thing - it would stink if we all liked the same things. (Please don't take any of this as an "I hate GCI, etc." comment. I like those too! Just rode Ghost Rider and love it; but loved it more in 1999 with the original PTC trains and profile.)

The water park was closed from what I could tell — which was surprising given the heat / grossness. And thanks for the DDD tips. I had no idea that the planes had programs and just jumped on one at random; I didn't even watch it run first. The one I was in flipped like crazy for a solid minute and then just turned upside for like 10 seconds while the ride slowed down. Not great!

OMG this is perfect. Bert for Post of the Week!

Funny cause all I'm seeing is whiny bitches crying about how its slow, forceless, no whip, no airtime, no themeing, crawls through the bunny hops, was broke all day long and is absolutely the weakest RMC built so far.

You can redeem pre-purchased (or in my case all season) fast lane at any location that sells them.

Like I said, if you're planning on purchasing on a whim, you're playing with fire. That said right now, every date in the near future is available so maybe I just got unlucky.

FL+ is awesome at Dorney....for the water park.

* except Dorney

don't see it anywhere. . they want you to download the free mobile app (which has the map on it), I suppose.

I get why they're doing it, and I'm glad they're at least open, but this park of all parks to close before sunset is brutal. I'd much rather they be open 2 to 11 than 11 to 8. Maybe they'll get some takers at $18/hr.

My Brother worked at Astroworld at 17, and he did it because he wanted to, not because my Parents made him. I wanted to, but was only 15, and I think you had to be 17 at the time to be hired. .and by the time I hit that age? I saw how many hours my Brother worked and realized it was more fun to hang out at the park every day over summer and mess with him (he worked at the hot dog place in Coney Island), than it was to actually, you know. . . work there

If you can't think or say this, is it even really a French film?

They are going to start running Superman forward and backward. Pick your poison when entering.

Went to the park yesterday. I would never imagine I'd fall in love with mystic timbers. I was just enamored with how they managed to leave soooo many trees in tact and still fit the ride in. Orion, oooooorion lol. What can I say? I got off it feeling teased. The best parts, to me, were the helix and the hills that followed. I wish more of the ride was like it.

Remember when we all thought theme parks might be doomed by COVID? It is fantastic to see all the people flocking back to parks like Kings Island. Great reports all, thank you!

Had the opportunity to ride Kondaa four times yesterday. This is what Walibi Belgium desperately needed: a thrilling rollercoaster with an orignal layout and within a good themed area. Had two middle row rides, one in the back and one almost in the front row. In the early morning, the ride is already amazing, but in some spots it just missed the expected 'umpf'. My backseat ride was in the late afternoon and maaaaaan... The forces and airtime are insane. It changed the ride experience from 'amazing' to 'mindblowing fantastic'! LOVE the first drop and the following two airtimehills! The ride is also super smooth. Is this my favorite rollercoaster? Don't know. Maybe? Can't really tell. But it's the best ride of my homepark for sure! I hope this ride, and all the other new improvements, help Walibi Belgium to gain more visitors and popularity! My last ride was an hour from closing. When we entered the first drop, it startend pouring rain like Hell! Although the pain on my face was almost unbearable, the forces and speed made me disorientated like never before. In-sane. Love the views you get from the queue!

It gets like that sometimes, always has. I grew up right down the street from the park, just off of 537 in Millstone (2.2 miles to the entrance, just measured it), and worked at that McDonald's from 2000 to 2010. There were plenty of times when 537 was a parking lot like that and caused traffic to back up all throughout the surrounding side roads. made for many nightmare-level crazy shifts at the restaurant lol. It's nothing new, too - anyone seen the photos from the Marshall Tucker Band concert back in 1981? It still holds the attendance record for the park. The park ran out of parking, and people just parked their cars on 537 and walked to the park. Here are a couple photos, you can find more at Great Adventure History:

Before the covid shutdown, security would approach anyone alone in Nickelodeon Universe, especially if you took a photo. I was asked for my ID multiple times. I didn't have an issue in my last visit inside Nickelodeon Universe, but mall security came up to me in my car when I chose to eat my pizza there instead of in a crowded food court in the middle of a pandemic.

Nah, not a big fan of that one. I'll ride if there's no line but I don't find it particularly fun.

This may make me a bad poster. But they lost me and 3 additional admissions for the Gwazi fiasco. We booked flights 4 months ago and we are still going to Tampa cause we have a place there. But they don't seem to care. Busch is expensive and doesn't want to open their new ride. So I'll see them next year I guess.