CdnbMatt

I rode Gemini for the first time in about 5 years this summer. I found it was running much much better than the previous time I rode it. Does anyone know if Cedar Point did anything to improve the ride, or did I just luck out. Speaking of Gemini, has it always been a steel track over a wood frame or was it once a fully wooden coaster?

Oh wait....I figured it out.....nevermind.

Please pardon my ignorance but what is Gasm?

I think I'll have to give this Tennesee Tornado a try...lot's of votes for it. Is that the one with the big loop at Dollywood? I suppose I could just look it up....

The best part about being an Arrow fan is that there are soooooo many to choose from, the worst part is that there will never be any more than the number we have now.

Ohh.....I forgot all about Magnum, it comes in a very very close second.

Please forgive me if this has been done before, I did a quick search and couldn't find it... Arrow coasters will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm just curious what one is your favorite...it can be any Arrow coaster still standing or defunct as long as it is pre S&S. I'm going to stick a rule in here though, X is not allowed......too easy. My personal favorite is, and always will be, Drachen Fire....despite it's problems I always had a good time while riding it.....I miss it.

For me this year: Canada's Wonderland Ontario Place Centreville Santa Monica Pier Disneyland Park Six Flags Magic Mountain Six Flags New England Canadian National Exhibition Cedar Point Marineland Apparently not the greatest year by TPR standards BUT I am happy with it. The new parks for me were the Six Flags parks and Disneyland.

I rode Drachen Fire in it's first season......it will always remain in heart as one of my favorite rides.....R.I.P Arrow! Ron Toomer, you are my hero

Thanks for the info..... I really really hoped it was not due to a bunch of whiners complaining about too rough a ride...in a way I am glad they had some structural/mechanical reasons for trimming...still a shame though.

Just wanted your opinion on this. I just visited Cedar Point this year for the first time in about 5 years. I was quite disappointed with both Mean Streak and Mantis. I visited in '96 and both coasters were among my top 10. Then in 2002 Mean Streak was running a bit rough but not horrible. This year however, was a completely different story. The trims added on the first drops of both rides pretty much ruined them for me. The first drop has always been my favorite on all coasters, to stick trims on them is just blasphemy in my opinion. I've been to a fair number of parks and have never experienced this before. Mantis was o.k...I suppose....but Mean Streak just chugged along the course with no enthusiasm. I've always stuck up for Mean Streak when people bad mouthed it, but it has become very hard to do so. I've heard that it had become very rough, but was it really that bad.....or are some people a little sensitive? On that note, do other parks trim the first drop on coasters or just Cedar Point AND is it completely necessary or just a lazy way out of a few bumps?

I think the complainers need to step back from their keyboards and take a deep breath.... I fail to see what the problem is. Take away TTD and Kingda Ka and we are pretty much (give or take a couple spots) getting a coaster in the top 15 for speed, height, and length. Out of hundreds of coasters...it's not too shabby. As for the trains....everyone is going to be getting a fairly un-obstructed view... and just think how wild it will be to sit in the back seat basically hanging off the side of the train with nothing around you. Coasters will always get bigger and badder....this goes for Wonderland's future installments too...until then just relax and enjoy the great ride we are getting.

I think Dragon Fire's new paint job at Wonderland is probably the best. I'm dead serious....

Did you hear anything about it at all? I'm just curious to know if we are getting the whole story in the news or if something more was said or done to justify a payout to this guy.

Good question! I believe that they would be measured from their turbans.....I can't see the turbans being removed for height measurement...and no, that is not fair. If a child who was measured from his turban falls out of a ride and it is determined that he was indeed too short to ride...who do you think will be in big trouble??? One guess...

I could see Wonderland paying this guy off just so there wouldn't be a big commotion, especially with such a large middle eastern population in southern Ontario. That being said, I agree with you. This opens the door for all kinds of similar issues. What is Wonderland going to say next time a Sikh wants to ride the go karts....they certainly can't continue to pay.

I came across a story today that may not be hot off the presses, but interesting nevertheless. Apparently on July 9th a Sikh man was awarded an undisclosed amount of money from an incident some time back when he refused remove his turban to wear a helmet on the Go-Karts. I believe that at the time the operator refused to let the man ride. Which in my opinion was a good move. I am not sure what words were exchanged but I find it funny that Wonderland would even consider giving this man money from the details I am reading. This has even sparked Wonderland to request a change in regulations to allow Sikhs to ride without helmets. I really hope to not offend anyone but I feel that regardless of religion if you cannot follow the safety rules for any attraction you should not participate...period. Some may argue that modifications could be made to accommodate a turban such as larger helmets, but wearing a too large helmet defeats the purpose. Any thoughts? If you want to read the story http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=325bc24f-4b3f-4c55-95f8-53d2606088a9&k=50763

Honestly, I am glad you reminded me of those.... up to a couple of years ago they had these small (about go kart size) boats with outboard motors and a track set up in lake Ontario. It was another free attraction requiring a drivers licence. It was basically go karts on water...pretty fast too. They closed that playground last year...now it just sits looking ugly...I am not sure if they have any future plans for that area. I was freaked out by that old waterpark too. The slides were concrete and if you slipped off the mat your skin was in big trouble.

I wonder hambone if you ever had the pleasure of driving on the DVP while you were here... that's quite a treat Those pods that housed Nintendo and Lego now sit empty....actually I think there is a night club of all things in one of them now. A shame..

The one at the Science Centre is actually an Omnimax Theatre.....which is their name for "Imax Dome"....which is unique in the way that it is a dome over your head instead of a flat screen in front of you. So they are correct in saying that they are the only Imax dome in Ontario. That being said they could be a tad clearer in what they mean.....easy to get confused. Carnage is right....the 401 is always a mess. I went to LA expecting horrible traffic, but it was nothing compared to what we get daily here. Oh and thanks for the posting tip.....thats exactly what happened...they preview showed it backwards....so I fixed it....then in the end it was backwards.

Ya they do still have those card readers....problem is though they have gotten rid of about half of the maze for some reason..AND.. the outdoor hedge maze part has been completely cut down so it is no longer a maze...just an odd outdoor part. The Lego pod was the best!

Ooops........I posted the photos in the exact opposite order that I wanted to. I am sorry...I'm new at this! Ok....they photos are supposed to be viewed from bottom to top now........I guess I missed the "attach photos in the order viewed" instructions. I'm sure you'll all get the idea anyway.

Ontario Place is a smallish odd park. If I am not mistaken it is owned by the government of Ontario and built sometime in the 70's. My understanding is that it was originally built as a showcase for the province of Ontario and was going to be kind of an "Innoventions" type of thing. Back when I was a kid I can remember this place being more true to their vision as they has pods where annual exhibitions were displayed. They even had something called the "Nintendo Power Pod" where you could try out Nintendo products that were still over a year before released in stores. It was here where I first got to play Mario 3 months before anyone else. They do have an Epcotesque sphere with houses the world first permanent IMAX theatre. Along the way they seem to have lost their way and the park hangs on the brink of obscurity. It really is a place meant more for the kiddies. I'd say skip this park if you are looking to add to your count as the actual number of coaster credits at this park is exactly 0. I could see from the parking lot that we would be fighting through crowds all day. One of the two main entrances to Ontario Place......why they need two I'll never know. The crowds were really starting to get on my nerves. This was new this year.... Fruitalicious...the only fruit they had was 88c bananas and apple slices with caramel dip. Otherwise about a million kinds of bagels. A view of Toronto from Ontario Place. Gotta love the *cough* clean air. This pic shows about 85% of the parks rides. This was a 5 year old's dream. They can choose from about 20 different power wheels cars to spin around in. These mannequins really...freaked..me ...out...... what's the deal...why do they have to look like that. How many parks do you know that offer free mini golf with admission. No lying, three seconds later I got a hole in one. Although small, the slides at their water park are pretty good. One of those toilet bowl slides. this one doesn't your back like some others I've been on. If you are ever in Puerto Vallarta....DO NOT go on their toilet slide. Trust me. This is my "shout out" to those cheaters on the Spain trip.... I wish I was there with you. Too bad he wasn't making a fist to I could pound it like Ryan. Ontario Place's "geometric sphere"...you won't find a wand hanging over this ball. Oh...it housed the IMAX threatre. Insert giant wand here. The park has some attractive spots. They are getting ready for their Chinese Lantern Festival. The Wilderness Adventure Ride. Probably the most thrilling tihing at this place. It actually is good in terms of scenery, but the drop is a tad small. A shot from the queue area of the Wilderness Adventure Ride. No wonder they don't want you climbing on this rock. One slip and you're doing a face plant into a boat full of kindergarteners mid drop. It really is a nice looking flume ride. Ciara's upset about the lack of coaster credits. That or she just caught me checking out the girl that just walked by. This is like something out of a nightmare... about fifty.... 7 foot tall statues wrapped in plastic. Probably just waiting for us to walk in a little further before making their move. While inside this mirror maze, it was really impossible to tell if I was looking at the camera or a reflection of the camera. If I try really hard I can pretend I am dating hot twins. I think this is the closest I can get to that dream. Sorry about the angle...I forgot to rotate the pic. I have always wanted to go on the hanging tube of death to the slide of death but I knew for past visits I was too tall for this ride. This is fun, a giant never ending foam ball fight. i wish I had a video to show all the things to do in here. About 3 seconds after taking this photo, I got nailed in the side of the head by a dad and his kid shooting a ball gun. I got my spinny forwards and backwards kid car ride credit. The ride op was yelling at the kids as they were getting on and off. Beavertails........these things are really really good. it's basically salted fried dough covered in whatever you want. This one is with hazelnut spread. I think you Americans call them Elephant Ears. Uggh......

See that's what I thought too.....BUT....if you look at Wikipedia and rcdb.com they both list it as being called Wilde Beaste. I could swear the second "e" never existed. I know they used to pronounce the e in Wilde..which sounded better....I don't know why they ever changed the name. They still have the statue of the Wildebeest in front of the ride entrance (which has a completely different third spelling). My head hurts.

I can't remember the name of the park but if you are ever in Nuevo Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta Mexico, there is only one water park there and it is one of the best I have been to. They have a ton of slides and it's Mexico so the operators don't give a darn and let like 15 people go down at once. It's wild.