Perilous Chris

In terms of the layout and intensity, the Voyage is one of the most amazing coasters out there. I rated it slightly lower than other coasters because of it's roughness. I rode it three times. My third ride was in the back of the train, and I smacked my rib into the restraint next to me on one of the sharp turns. I was in pain for a few weeks. Ravine Flyer II is by far one of the smoothest coasters I have ridden as of this writing.

I just e-mailed my ballot. I feel pretty young as I have only ridden 16 wooden coasters. Here are my top 5 Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer The Beast at KI Blue Streak at CP The Voyage at HW Cross between Thunderbolt at KW and Raven at HW I do not know what it was about it, but I absolutely loved Blue Streak. While the Voyage is incredible, it was pretty violent. In future years, I am sure it will score higher on my list. The Beast is by no means the best for airtime and forces, but I loved the length and setting. It was the best night ride I have had on any coaster as of now.

^ Elissa, Is it a difficult drive between SFGAdv and SFNE/Lake Compounce? I am considering doing a similar trip featuring SFGAdv, Hershey, Dorney, Knoebels, KD, BGW and SFA. I have had some great suggestions, but considering the realistic price I may do either the Virginia or New England parks on another trip. Thanks in advance for the helpful advice you offer.

^^ KBF did have one. It was called XK-1. It replaced the Loop Trainer (Schwarzkopf enterprise) in the late 80's. It would later be replaced by Supreme Scream. I rode it a few times and it was somewhat thrilling. When you turned the ride vehicle upside down, it would feel as though you were going to slide out. Shane...I want to thank you for this thread. I have really enjoyed it, and it has brought back many positive memories. I used to have similar brochures, but unfortunately many have been thrown out over the years. I still have some old Marineland (Palos Verdes) material, as well as a Magic Mountain brochure promoting Z-Force.

When I was three years old, my father took me on the Sky Jump at Knotts, and apparently I was shaking the rest of the night. I did not ride it again until I was 17. My first major coasters were Montezuma's Revenge and the Corkscrew at Knotts. This was when I was eight years old. My parents talked me into riding them, and both rides scared scared me to death. From then until about 17, I was fascinated with rides, but I was quite phobic. My first trip to SFMM in the early 1990's was somewhat uneventful. The only coasters I rode on that trip were Colossus and Gold Rusher. All I had to do was take a look at Viper while entering the parking lot, and I was not willing at all to give it a chance. By the time I was about 17, I was willing to try pretty much anything. There are still some attractions that get me nervous. For example, at Kings Island I was a bit more relaxed after I got the Drop Tower out of the way.

I think Wildebeest was definitely a highlight of 2010. I was impressed with how fast the uphill portions were. Those who do not care for staircases and high water slide platforms, will love the conveyor belt lift hill.

I am going to add another while I am at it. Firehawk at KI: For years I have been hearing great reviews. This summer I took my first ride. Aside from the slow loading, I found the experience to be quite uncomfortable and rough. I think Tatsu turned me into a flying coaster snob. Despite my comments on Firehawk and Diamondback, I absolutely loved Kings Island!

I have a couple, but after visiting Cedar Point, Kings Island, Holiday World, Kennywood, and Waldameer for the first time, I have more positive memories than bad ones. - Will Koch's death - My first visit to Kennywood. I was looking forward to this park for quite some time, and my visit was somewhat disappointing. For starters, I missed Sky Rocket by about a week, but that is not my main complaint. The park was very crowded and operations were slow. A lot of the ride operators seemed as though they were in bad moods. I could be wrong, but I found only one drinking fountain in the entire park, and the food lines were crazy. I used the Rankin bridge to get to the park, and that turned out to be a nightmare. This was all in early June. With that being said, I was fortunate to ride all the major coasters and dark rides, along with the Turtle and Cosmic Chaos. I am willing to give the park another chance. If I could do it over, I would have bought the VIP coaster pass, and I would have researched a different way to get to and from the park. - Diamondback was a small disappointment. It was one of the first B&M's I have ridden that did not amaze me. It was a very fun ride, but I found it to be tame in all seats. As others have mentioned, it does have a case of that B&M rattle. - Missing out on Kentucky Kingdom and Son of Beast. I was not too disappointed that I missed Shoot the Rapids. I got to ride the Pilgrim's Plunge at HW, so at least I experienced one of the newer Intamin splashdown boats.

Hi there, I got back from a midwest trip two weeks ago. I went to Cedar Point, Kings Island, Holiday World, Kennywood, and Waldameer. Hopefully I can offer a little advice for Kennywood and Waldameer. I went to Kennywood on Thursday, June 10th, and it was by far the most crowded park of the trip. I was able to get all the coasters in except for Sky Rocket, along with all the dark rides. It took much longer than I expected. To my surprise, a couple of employees at the park told me that it was a very average day in terms of crowds. If you want to ride all the coasters along with some of the historical stuff, you might really be cutting it close with twilight admission. There were many classic flats I wanted to ride, but did not because I felt the lines were too long. It is a beautiful park, but I was exhausted afterwards. I would suggest doing a full day at Kennywood. Also, it was a difficult park to get to. I stayed at the Days Inn Monroeville, and it took about an hour with Rankin Bridge Construction. There was construction and traffic everywhere! If you are driving through Pittsburgh, there is a good chance you may hit traffic! If I was to do it again, I would try to stay a little closer to the park. I did Waldameer the Friday after Kennywood. I was only there for about two and a half hours. It was moderately crowded as there were many school picnics, but in that time I rode: Ravine Flyer II twice, Steel Dragon, Comet, XScream and the Wacky Shack. I had plenty of time to walk around and see the park without feeling rushed. Just for the record, Ravine Flyer II was by far one of the best wooden coasters of the trip!! The Wacky Shack is a classic dark ride as well. Overall, I had a great time at Waldameer, and would strongly recommend it. I personally found the Erie Pa a pretty easy city to drive through.

^ Maybe this is just me, but when I rode Maverick, those restraints seemed to tighten after the ride began. I personally did not experience any head banging, but my legs were slightly sore after riding. I rode in different seats, and different times throughout the day, and it was the same every time. It was as if I was stapled. The ride was still a big highlight of my trip though!

While I have not ridden a major amount of coasters, I would say: Millenium Force Phantom's Revenge: you get quite a bit towards the end The Voyage: By far the most intense wooden coaster I've ridden I personally felt Maverick was a better ride for speed and transitions as opposed to airtime. When I rode it, the restraint got tighter as the ride progressed. Diamondback provides some good floater airtime. While it's a great ride, I personally felt it was somewhat gentle.

Hi, There are plenty of people here that can give you some excellent advice. Hopefully, my brief experience can help. I just got back from my first coaster trip last week. I hope to eventually do a TPR trip, but I wanted to try something a little shorter on my own first. I visited Cedar Point, Kings Island, Holiday World, Kennywood and Waldameer Park. For starters, you will be putting some serious mileage on your car. Not only will you be spending a fortune on gas, but you are most likely going to have to stop for an oil change/service at least once. While it sounds fun, think of how much time you will spend driving. For my trip, I calculated at least 21 hours of driving. Second, think about weather, driving conditions, and changes in traffic patterns. The night before I visited Kennywood, I stopped in Pittsburgh to go gambling. It was pouring rain, and I got lost driving on the bridges. It scared me to death! Also, on the way back from Holiday World, I stopped in Louisville to get a cup of coffee. Little did I know that most everything would be closed, and most of the streets are one way. Plus, I quickly learned that these towns have their rough spots. Before my trip, I figured it would be fun to randomly explore these cities after long days at the parks. I learned the lesson that no matter how much you plan, it's better to be obsessively over prepared, than under prepared. While it will be great to see the country, keep in mind that some of the driving will be exhausting and boring. For example when driving from Kings Island to Holiday World, you go through a two hour stretch where all you see is trees. If your staying at hotels and/or motels, that will eat up a chunk. For my trip, I stayed at two Days Inn's, and a Howard Johnson. I spent a little over $500 total, and I felt that I got some pretty cheap rates for what I was going for. Before planning my trip, there were plenty of other parks I wanted to add (i.e. Michigan's Adventure, Hersheypark, Six Flags Great America, etc.), but I soon came to the conclusion that adding another would be one too many in terms of driving, hotels, etc. Your plan sounds exciting, and if your set on it, I'd say go for it. There's just a lot to take into consideration. Start researching asap!

On Tues, May 18th, I saw Massive Attack at the Wiltern in Los Angelas. They were truly one of the best acts I have seen live!

^ Absolutely! A Hoarders theme would most likely not work, but there are plenty of possibilities. On a side not, in early June I'm going to Kings Island. I am seriously bummed that I missed out on Tomb Raider, and I will have to settle for the Crypt. I have a feeling that the original Tomb Raider would have been one of my all time favorite themed attractions. It seems like there is a lot that can be done with indoor themed flat rides, although I'm sure Tomb Raider was not the most cost efficient ride.

I'm thinking of a simulator type of attraction driven by Dr. Drew Pinsky. Riders will have a rough time navigating the streets of L.A. as they try to catch up with a violent 1980's celebrity who just quit Celebrity Rehab: Sober Living. Another idea is a dark ride based on the A & E show Hoarders: Buried Alive. Riders will enter vehicles which travel through a house with a nice exterior. On the inside, riders will quickly see the dead end as they are taken to a living room filled with everything you could imagine. Technology kicks in as the ride performs sideways, and backward movements to exit the building. While performing these movements, riders will encounter a kitchen with rotting food, and cluttered rooms. Effects will be used to present riders with the illusion that they will be buried alive in stuff.

Years ago, we were driving back from Vegas and stayed at Buffalo Bills. The next morning we had to leave early, and Desperado did not open until noon. On my last trip to Vegas, I took a bus, so we did not stop at state line. I passed up the opportunity to ride Manhattan Express, because I figured that $14 was a little steep just to get beat up. One credit that it looks like I will be missing this summer is Son of Beast.

Eric, that gets to me as well! I've noticed that people have a tendency to just "chill" in front of soda fountains and talk. It really amazes me how often people are completely unaware of what is around them. One peeve of mine is people who take too long to order food at fast food restaurants. Now......I fully understand that people have questions, etc. Often, when I go out to eat, I am unsure of what I want. What I do is stand back and look at the overhead menu, before getting in line. There are places I eat, where it feels like the customers are finalizing a car deal.

Here's my impressive and diverse list: Adventuredome at Circus Circus Las Vegas Belmont Park Castle Park (did not ride anything) Disneyland Disney's California Adventure Nascar Cafe Sahara Pharoah's Lost Kingdom (did not ride anything) Scandia Sea World San Diego (still need the Atlantis Credit) Six Flags Magic Mountain Stratosphere Tower

I would have to go with the Liquidator water slide at Wild Rivers in Irvine. The Edge side scared me to death! Like eric mentioned, I've also felt somewhat unsafe on X. I have not ridden X2 yet, but for some reason I have always felt really insecure on that ride. Aside from X, Deja Vu makes me nervous as I always tend to envision something happening on the first spike.

I agree on the loose article policy as well! Once I was on Xcelerator at KBF, and the lady a couple seats in front of me lost some loose change on the top hat. I was hit in the hand by a quarter, and I almost got hit in the eye by a penny.

Sorry to hear about all that! I'm glad you guys are safe though!

An Intamin gyro drop would be a marvelous addition!

Is there any chance that Holiday World or Canada's Wonderland may be included in the Road to Cedar Point trip, or is that logistically impossible? I have only been to the parks in So Cal, and a few in Vegas, so I'm unsure about distances.

^ I remember that. Didn't Condor open in Fall or Winter 1987? Condor, Z-Force and Reactor were three rides that I wish I had the opportunity to try. Regarding Demon Drop, I'm not as theme-park savvy as many on the boards, but my guess is that they want to keep it at Knott's until they either sell it, or find a scrap yard that will make them a good offer. I do give the park credit. I've been visiting for practically 30 years, and I have never seen them do anything quite like this. Windjammer was horrendous, but at least it somewhat had a theme/concept.

I went to Vegas in March and I missed out on Manhattan Express. I just felt that $14 a ride was a little steep for a credit that has received nothing but bad reviews from what I read.