FeelTheFORCE

This is definitely tougher than I thought. If something isn't bonkers enough to break my top 10, then I really only classify it as fun or not fun. Here is my top 10.

It definitely makes sense from a marketing standpoint. Though I do think SFMM could still market the height aspect successfully without VR if they did it right. In my opinion, a 400' ride in a park whose niche is extreme thrills shouldn't need a gimmick to boost marketability.

Engineering, degrees, and certifications aside, the bigger picture here is how much negligence was allegedly going on. All the experience in the world isn't going to save them from that. Edit: Basically reiterating what Elissa said. ^

Call me cynical, but when a ride is advertised as a 400' drop tower, part of the experience is seeing the park and surrounding areas from 400' up and freaking the hell out that you're up so high since you're about to plummet at any second. I'm sure this will add a unique quirk to the ride for a bit, but it takes away from one of the primary aspects that make drop towers thrilling. I wish VR would just go away already, it seems to have about run it's course.

The statement of "it will be clear that this was an accident" is a bit unnerving. That implies to me that they think it was a freak occurrence out of their control, when the warning signs were clearly there and it was definitely preventable.

These hit the nail on the head, in my opinion. Having ideas and "designs" to bring new and exciting things to the table was probably part of his job description, but he was also responsible for ensuring these projects were completed correctly and properly, which he seemingly failed to do. Even though he may have decades of "experience" with these types of slides, that doesn't necessarily mean he's well-versed in every little detail. You could have the world's greatest bridge architect, but they may have no idea how to properly lay a concrete base in the middle of a river. If that's the case, I certainly would not trust them to oversee that part of the project, and would bring in an expert.

^^ It depends on the weather and even time of day. You could walk by and see it's 2+ hours, or get lucky and it end up being 15 minutes. My best recommendation for a sunny day would be to try to hit it at weird times, like when most people are eating lunch/dinner or something.

This is fairly common, since he was the one who oversaw everything and signed off on it all. They usually go after the one in charge. While employees should stand up for what is right, sometimes people just do what they're told to keep their job and put food on the table. I'm not defending them, that's just how it is sometimes. That's not to say the designers won't have trouble finding decent work in the future, however. This will indirectly impact them in that regard as well. Really just an awful thing to hear how much negligence was going on. For the sake of all their guests, I really hope this was just an isolated incident and isn't commonplace at all Schlitterbahns. Hopefully the other parks will also be thoroughly evaluated and audited for safety flaws.

You should take that money you saved and still donate it to charity!

I'm actually hoping the lighting is just enough, but not crazily overdone. Weaving in and out throughout the structure at night with little to no light would be a different experience in itself, IMO. Dim, mining-style lanterns lining the lift hill, with spotlights here and there to accentuate the structure and it's major elements would be perfect.

Tony is definitely one of the best in the industry at doing what he does. I remember back when the "Tony and Tyler" blog first started.

I've never been on Cobra's Curse, but Monster at Adventureland in Iowa also takes some of its elements very slowly, and it really adds to the experience! I like that this doesn't spin as much, so a wider variety of people can enjoy it without having to worry about losing their lunch.

Unless something has drastically changed since those town hall meeting plans leaked, I still think it's going to be a coaster. Would construction need to start that early if it were just the Turnpike returning? Maybe it'll be a two-fer.

I'm guessing this woman has never ridden an Arrow suspended coaster, and she probably couldn't handle it. From the awkwardness of stepping over the side, while simultaneously ducking under the raised OTSRs, to awkwardly rushing out of there at the end when the airgates open for the next people. I hope her case gets thrown out.

I'm sure they'll probably have some sort of price guarantee to incentivize keeping your membership for an extended period and reward loyalty. Even a company like Netflix, who is always raising rates, has a price guarantee for some members before their rates also go up. Six Flags already has other stipulations in place that require you to commit for 12 months, like a hefty fee if you cancel sooner.

That's a stunning station!

I would highly recommend Drury. They manage the free food very well and I've never seen it as a madhouse or with out of control kids. I've stayed at the one in Cincinnati a handful of times, as well as ones in Columbus and St. Louis, and have had nothing but great experiences.

More than Adam, Ben, Fred, or Macho Man Randy, themselves.

I mean, unless you're like 8 feet tall, then I'd probably say it's safe to assume you can't ride.

Why wouldn't it be when it's going to be open when the park opens in a couple weeks? Lol. Uhh because anything can happen between now and opening day and rides don't always opened as planned? See: Wonder Woman Lasso Coaster, Lightning Rod, Merlins Mayhem, Gale Force, Zumanjaro, Maverick, etc etc etc etc etc That said, I personally do hope its up and running opening weekend, and it certainly seems they're well on their way to making that happen. As of now media day is scheduled for Thursday the 22nd, passholder preview is being advertised for Friday the 23rd, BUT none of us can see two and a half weeks into the future and it wouldn't be the first time all of that was cancelled/pushed back because a ride wasn't ready. I'm with Jay, I would say the odds are pretty good. Things happen, but there's no way any of us would know that at this point.

I like their "buy a season pass late in the year, and it'll be good for all of next year too" pitch. With the parking, it pays for itself in one visit. I did that for SFGAm in September, also used it for SFSTL later that month, and now have free admission and parking for all of 2018 as well. I don't have any SF parks close by, but I'll probably make a trip to one sometime this year I wouldn't have otherwise made.

I see it!

That's a really good point, and I'm surprised it took them this long offer a system like that. They even built in the early cancellation fees and contractual length obligation as well.

Every log ride I've been on has some sort of notches for your feet to brace yourself. I never rely on those slick metal handrails for bracing, ever. Those injuries are unfortunate, but it sounds like you're just letting yourself flail around on these rides. For me personally, if I don't at least ride a little bit defensively on the ones you named, I'm going to have a really bad time.

I'm digging the simplistic nature of this RMC, in that it just has a bunch of airtime hills in a row.