TopThrill182

Magnum, definitely. Viper at SFMM comes in for #2.

What a shame. I doubt I would ever get up to SFOG many more times in any event, but that was the best Deja Vu in the chain. You are lifted up right over a midway (literally, right over). Ahhh what a shame. At least I have gotten on all 3. Other than El Toro, Deja Vu is my favorite ride in the SF chain. The SFOG model did look to have more problems than any of the others though... Just please don't remove the one at SFGAm. I am also not all that thrilled about the Thomas Town addition, especially to this park. The addition of Thomas Town is not enough to turn that place family friendly... They first need to get rid of some of the more rowdy clientele.

This announcement hit me quite hard, and it really took a bit of time before I could post something the least bit coherent. What a loss. What a loss for the Cleveland market, what a loss for the families who visited be for, and what a loss for the amusement park loving community. While others threw the idea of Geauga Lake only being a water park around in the past, I never dreamed it would be the case. I had faith in Cedar Fair. Minor improvements such as paint jobs on this coaster and that, rehabilitation on numerous rides, and the apparent interest of Cedar Fair in the park led me to believe it was here to stay. The removals started with Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall, then X-Flight and Steel Venom, then Belaire Express. That, combined with the remains of Hurricane Harbor for numerous years, convinces me that Cedar Fair never had any interest in this park except for closing it. The park had decent attendance, and was doing much better this year. It had more attendance than Michigan's Adventure, significantly so, and yet somehow that park is still in the chain. The lack of interest in Geauga Lake, combined with its sudden closure, really proves that all CF wanted to do was make people like the park enough so that a slow and painful shut down could be done without losing too much money. This makes me question CF. It shows that they are completely unconcerned with the happiness of their guests, untrustworthy when it comes to public communication, and yes, nothing more than a business. The thing that bothers me the most is that they lied to us every step of the way with their constant "We have no intention of closing.... We have no intention of removing... At this point in time X-Flight has no plans for revoal". Come on Cedar Fair, stop lying. That is so Six Flags... The public deserved to know the future, or lack there of, of Geauga Lake before the park closed for the season. Its extremely, extremely disappointing, and still this feels like a dream. _________________ Also, I don't know how successful it will be just as a water park. I think they really should have had a compromise. Maybe toss out Raging Wolf Bobs and Head Spin and some flats and Grizzly Run, but I think a small amusement park with a water park would have had more success. In any event, if you feel like Cedar Fair handled Geauga Lake wrong, please check out my petition. Please be aware this is more to raise awareness with CF that numerous actions they took weren't at the level you would hope from CF or any company for that matter. www.ipetitions.com/petition/geaugalake

Sorry for the lengthy delay, but the pictures are up. There are over 2000 so I hope you enjoy them! I really like some of the SFMM ones. They are in somewhat of a reverse order, so if you want to see them from the beginning (Day 1 - Day 2), you should start at the bottom. It doesn't really matter a whole lot though. - Top Thrill 182 -

Yes SF is trying to get back to the family right now, but in a few years I think they will start adding the bigger coasters again. Once new technology comes along, parks are doing well financially, they will start to cater to the thrill seekers again. And when CP was talking about other coasters they were thinking instead of Maverick, they said one was about Millennium's height. I think shows people are still interested...

I also found the whole running thing pretty funny. It was a lot of fun though, I am glad I got to experience. And it really is an amazing system. Obviously you can't get re-rides on Deja Vu and X, but every other coaster (no matter how long the line) they will let you fill an empty seat if it is open. And it was extremely cool they re-dispatched the train as the last ride of the night. It was just so cool that they did that, and was very nice. Tatsu had the worst crew in the place. Dispatches were absurd, and that is how the line starting on the stairs to the station took over an hour. I mean, when you have 2 loading stations and a long ride course, how can you not run 3 trains? I just couldn't believe it. And Colossus was pretty rough, but I actually didn't think X was rough at all. The second raven turn was really shaky the first time I rode it, but I kept my head forward the next time and was fine. And we did miss all the water rides. I wanted to get on one, as I love rapids rides, and really enjoyed the Arrohead Splash Down log ride, but the lines were quite long, and I would rather be riding coasters. On the two other Deja Vus, the ride ops let a train load of riders into the station and let them pick the rows. Same thing goes for most other rides. And I paid to get into the park, the ride op is getting paid. They should be the ones burdened with stuff like that, not the guests. The other ops who worked a little harder to let guests pick their seats didn't look too over exhausted. I just hate when ops do this... and I have never seen an op who didn't accommodate some sort of seating request. This one just didn't want to think. And I don't want to confuse people, both sides of Superman: TE were not being launched at the same time, they were just both running at the same time. And sorry, but I didn't take a pic... I promise though! And I do love SFMM. I am really glad I got to visit, and would suggest the park to anyone. And sorry, but the pics won't be up until tomorrow night.

Let me preface this by saying one thing. I'm just putting my opinions out there like everyone else, I am truly not trying to fight with anyone. I thought that was an interesting list that ginzo put out there and I'd like to comment on it. I actually think not having a fast pass system is a huge plus. I don't like how parks allow the people who can shell out another ridiculous sum of money for a fast past product to have a substantially better visit than those who can not. I just think it is a slap in the face for people who those who can't. There is nothing more annoying to me than watching fast pass people coming in by the heard and slowing down the line. The Breakers Express Hotel is ridiculously over priced, but I think all the other hotels are quite nice (specifically Castaway Bay and Sandcastle). They are quite costly, but how is that different than the Disney hotels? Over the counter service food could be better (specifically burgers), but I don't think any other over the counter food is any worse than any other parks. And I actually think the selection of sit down restaurants at Cedar Point is the best selection of non-Disney parks. You have Famous Dave's (which is really good food), Johnny Rockets (which is also good), TGI Fridays (yes its a chain, but still I like their food), Macaroni's, Dominics, Breakwater Cafe, and Game Day Grille. You also have Breakwater Cafe, but that is more secluded by the hotels. I'd say that is an impressive list of restaurants for one park, but that's just me. The kids area does need a major update, I will agree with that, but still, all the kids I see are entertained. I combined those two since they are somewhat similar. Sure CP's focus is the coasters and the thrill rides, but I still think there is a pretty good selection of things for people to do that don't like thrills. They have 3 car rides, an observation tower, ferris wheel, Thunder Canyon, the train ride, and numerous flats that non-thrill seekers like. I do agree they need to add a good new family attraction, but I don't think it is a problem. Ugly? Sure there are some older areas of the park but I don't think anything is ugly. Gemini's midway could use some updates, the main entrance could use some new lights, and Raptor's queue could use some aesthetic appeal, but other than that I think things look great. The back of the park with Frontier Town and all has great themeing in my opinion, and while the rest of the park doesn't have a ton of themeing I think the atmosphere is better than any other park I have been to. I think there is a ton of landscaping, trees, streams, water, buildings, etc. I have been to a lot of parks, and I actually think CP has a far better collection of coasters than other parks, and I think many are great. Blue Streak: Better than Average Cedar Creek Mine Ride: Below Average (aimed as less of a thrill though) Corkscrew: Average Disaster Transport: Average Gemini: Above Average Iron Dragon: Average Magnum XL 200: Great Mantis: Below Average Maverick: Great Mean Streak: Above Average Millennium Force: Great Raptor: Great Top Thrill Dragster: Great Wicked Twister: Great Wild Cat: Above Average That's only 5 coasters I consider average or below average, the rest being very good or great. There is no other park that I can say has so many good or great coasters. Obviously some people are going to laugh at my Mean Streak assessment, but honestly, unless it is one of its rough days, I enjoy it. I agree or don't really think much about your other comments. Other comments: I don't get how a standard bowl slide is the best, From what I have heard Voyage is incredibly rough, I don't think Nitro is close to a top 3 coaster, and I don't think Dudley Do Rights is the best water ride by any means (lightly themed and for the most part dull). Well thats my 2 cents.

Note: This TR is very long. If you want to skip the interesting narratives, simply skip down to the rides section. I have been looking forward to writing this TR for quite a while. Six Flags Magic Mountain Date of Visit: We visited on Tuesday, the 7th of August 2007, and on Wednesday, the 8th of August 2007. Weather During Visit: The weather was quite nice during our visit. Wednesday was especially hot, although it was still pleasant. Crowds During Visit: On Tuesday, the crowds were extremely light. On Wednesday the crowds were moderate. The Park Six Flags Magic Mountain is one of my favorite parks, and definitely the best Six Flags park. The park gets such a bad rap, but I can't understand that. The staff is friendly, the park is clean, there is plenty of landscaping, and definitely tons of rides, or coasters that is. At other parks like Cedar Point, there are lots of coasters, but there is an ample selection of other types of rides and attractions. At SFMM, however, you really have to look to find any other type of rides. The park has two log flumes and a Rapids, but those are the only main non-coaster rides at the park. I don't really care as I was there for the coasters, but I can see how some might get a bit annoyed. The park is quite large and takes a while to get around. It isn't as big as Cedar Point, but definitely one of the bigger Six Flags parks. I like the feel of big parks as opposed to the ones that feel so crammed and small. The entrance is gorgeous with the mammoth fountain (which was partly off during this visit but looks great when it is on), and Revolution in the foreground and Tatsu in the background. It really looks great. The rest of the park also looks great, and I do mean great. It is just nicely put together. There is a nice mix of shops, coasters, food locations, and landscaping. There really isn't area of the park that looks too cluttered, too spaced out. While Batman is the only true themed coaster in the park, all the other rides are still given nice aesthetic appeal. Viper has a light Western theme, Superman is cool looking, Tatsu has a light Oriental theme, etc. You really don't miss themeing, as things still look great. One interesting note about this park, is the rules on re-rides. Basically, if you get off the train and wait while the other people come on the ride, and then see an empty seat, they let you take it. It is really amazing, and is quite fun. It is great to get 6-10 rides on coasters that don't have much line without getting off. It also works on the coasters with larger lines. At one point, the Tatsu and Riddler's Revenge line was an hour and a half, and after I got off from my first ride, there was a group of 3 in another row, and I got on with them. It is really an incredible experience (although I wouldn't think its the fairest thing if this policy was at my home park). Day 1 We got to the park at 10:30 (opening), but since quite a few people had already gotten through the gates we didn't think it was worth it to run to one of the major rides. We instead went to the right and did many of the coasters over there (Scream!, Batman, Riddler's, Goliath, Colossus). That area of the park was completely empty, and even as we took a break for lunch it was clear there weren't many people there. There were lines for the major things, but no lines for the smaller ones. We then did a few more coasters in the back of the park before proceeding to X. We wanted to make sure to get on it, and due to its flakey personality, I wanted to get on it before the motor blew out or something. We got on all the other coasters, then got a night ride on Tatsu, and got in line for X right before closing, getting a great night ride on X. Ride count for the day: Goliath (1 - Front) Colossus (2 - Front and Back) Scream (3 - Front and Back) Batman: The Ride (1) Riddler's Revenge (1) Deja Vu (1) Superman (1) Goldrusher (1) Viper (1) Tatsu (1) X (2 - Front) Revolution (1) Ninja (1) Total for the Day: 17 Day 2: We got to the park a little earlier this time in order to run to X. Unfortunately, we didn't get to the gate until 10:25, so many people had already lined up. We wen way over to the side though, to one or two gates that had no attendants and thus no line, which opened as they opened the park. A few people from my group get into the park, but then the person right in front of me (not connected to my group) had some issue with a coupon so the attendant at my gate had to go off to get another coupon. All I could see was everyone getting into the park and running to X. Finally my attendant comes back and I get into the park and start to sprint. A security guard told me, and other runners, to slow down, but not many people took heed. This was a hard run! It doesn't look like much when you walk over there, but it is a long and completely up-hill run from the entrance to X. While running up the hill to the bridge going to X, numerous people had ceased running and were yelling "You're getting tired... getting tired... getting tired" and other hilarious taunts. It was actually pretty funny. Finally I run up the stairs to the bridge and start to cross it. I saw that most other people had given up on the running, so while I was dead, I picked up the speed to past them all. Luckily I passed them all, it was actually quite exhilarating, and arrived at the entrance gate only to be third in line. They hadn't yet opened the ride so it gave me a chance to catch my breath. This was the first time I have ever participated in the running at opening at any park. Very exciting! A few minutes later when the line had grown quite a bit, an attendant comes out to open the line. He opened the line and while it took a bit of pushing I was still 5th in line (only some people in my group passed me). We ran through the queue to the entrance, I was still in a running mode for some reason, but didn't get too much of a lecture from the attendants. I then got on the first car on the third train of the day. After my amazing X run, we then went to Superman and got numerous laps without getting off on that. After that we went over to Ninja. The ride hadn't opened yet as it was still testing, and a line had formed at the entrance. My group (5 people), went down the exit to use the single rider line instead. While the ride was testing, we had a nice talk with the mechanic there. He said to our disbelief that Superman still hits 90mph, but the computers can't handle the faster speeds anymore. I was amazed it was still that fast. We talked a little bit more and then we were let on the ride. Mind you, the mechanic let us on before they opened up the actual line. So we had the first train out, and we were the only 5 on the train. It was actually a pretty cool experience! After that we did basically the same plan we did the previous day, doing the right side of the park first and then went to end the day with Tatsu, then Deja Vu, then X. We rode Deja Vu, which is where all the interesting stuff starts. Deja Vu is one of my favorite rides, but I've found your ride experience depends greatly on your seat. Deja Vu is like Intamin Impulses. If you sit in the back, you rocket up quite high and are staring straight down at the ground below. If you sit in the front, you don't go up as high going backwards, but you go quite high going forwards. In the middle, you don't go high either way. I greatly prefer sitting in the back, as sitting in the back on Deja Vu staring at the concrete below is breathtaking. Well unfortunately, I discovered Deja Vu at SFMM had no priority seating. I even begged with the op to let me go towards the back (as she had only assigned the first three rows), but she didn't budge. I got to sit somewhere in the middle. The ride was really great, but not the same as sitting all the way in the back. So the next night, I was determined to get the seat of my choice. So as I was about to go in the turnstiles into the station, I stopped to "tie my shoelace" until the back of the train was being loaded. I saw that it was and immediately proceeded in to get the 3rd row from the back. Yay! It worked. Well not for long. Unfortunately I had gotten in-between a group of 4 when I walked in, and there wasn't another row for them to take. So they asked me to go sit a single rider in the 4th to last row. I could have created a stink, but didn't want to cause a scene so just went in that row. Now, you're probably saying 4th row from back, 3rd row from back, what's the difference? Well there is a big one. On Deja Vu there are outer seats, and there are inner seats. Unfortunately the inner seats are really bad. The two outer seats have really nothing in front of them which gives you a front seat type experience. The inner seats on the other hand have a huge metal sheet in front of them that connects the two outer seats. You literally cannot see anything unless you turn your head to the side. Well the single rider was sitting in the inner seats, so it wasn't nearly as good of ride as it is on the outer seats. I found this whole experience quite comical. I do hate when parks assign you into rows though. It's really ridiculous after you've waited so long to get on it, and you should be able to pick where you sit. So after Deja Vu we realized that one of our group members who was waiting for us by the exit wasn't there. So this caused a hefty delay. It was already 9:20, and we were in somewhat of a time crunch to get to X. Unfortunately, I was given the job of looking for our missing person, while two of my friends ran off to X. Finally we found the other person, so we started to head over to X. We reached the bridge to the entrance at about 9:40 only to be told the ride was closed. After the Deja Vu op ruining my fun, I certainly wasn't going to take this. Employee: Sorry, but the ride is closed. Me: What?! Employee: Sorry, but the ride is closed. Me: Why? Employee: Well, there is over a 2 hour line, and we need to make sure that the people in line get on, so we had to close it. Me: No. I asked numerous employees today, and they said the ride would not close its line before closing (10pm). Employee: Sorry. Me: I still have 20 minutes and you are just going to close it. Employee: Well I'm sorry, but I was just told to close the ride, and I've already closed the line up there. Sorry! A few other of my friends chimed in, but he wouldn't budge. He was nice enough about it, but wouldn't let us on. And what bothered me about it was: 1) He was just going to close the line and I knew he hadn't done so yet and 2) I called my 2 friends already in line and they said it wasn't even close to 2 hours. So as it was approaching closing, we wanted to go on something so went over to Tatsu. I was sort of disappointed, as while Tatsu is a good ride, I had just been on it this evening and wanted to have another awesome night ride on X before I left. My first night ride on X was truly incredible. After arriving at Tatsu, I saw that the line was just up the stairs into the station. I was sort of disappointed it was so short, as being my last night in California, I was hoping to maximize my time at the park and get on the ride hours after closing. Well for some reason, the line took forever. It moved incredibly slowly, and there weren't even that many people in line. Finally I get into the station. I decided to get in line for a middle row (which had less people in line) just to get on quickly so as I could get re-rides before closing. Just as I had decided, they come on the loudspeaker and say that there are "absolutely no re-rides due to it being close to closing". Great night so far! SF is really spoiling my fun... At this point I noticed that they had just opened up the last two cars of the train. The last two cars on both side of the station had been reserved for Flash Pass all day, and it was disappointing as those were supposed to be the most intense rows. So I decided I might as well wait for the best row, and got in line for the last one. This took about half an hour, again the crew was very slow. Finally the station starts emptying out. After a little while, the other side of the station gave its last ride, and they move that train over to our side to speed things up. We see that there are about two trains of people still left in our station, so we let a few people go ahead of us in the last car to ensure we would get last ride. One of the trains is retired for the night so we had to wait a while for our train to return. They announced it would be the last train of the night, so a few people in the front row had to find a different row. Finally we get on (the wait was about an hour and a half). I secured an end seat. Luckily we get dispatched without a breakdown, and our ride was really incredible. The air was so cool, and it really made it all much more thrilling. The pretzel loop was also much more intense in the back. So we come back into the station and everyone (3 rows was all that was filled) starts cheering "one more ride, one more ride". I've seen this done all the time at parks, but have never seen the park agree to it. After we come into the station they leave us in the flying position while all this cheering was taking place. They said "do you want one more ride". Everyone cheered. "Two more ride?". Everyone again cheered. So they replied "Come back tomorrow!". Figures! So they lower us back into the loading position, and then a few seconds later, they raise us back into the flying position and said "Enjoy your ride on Tatsu". You have no idea how excited I was at this point. I was screaming at the top of my lungs. It was just such a great way to end the California part of the trip, and a great way to end what looked to be a not so hot night. It was just AMAZING. So the second ride was better than the first, and we get off the ride and I thanked the ops. We then got a few last pictures and left the otherwise empty park. One intersting note is that when we arrived at the parking lot, my friends who had ran to X were already there, and had been for over half an hour. Remember that 2 hour line that was so horrible? It ended up being under 1 hour. Typical Six Flags... Ride Count for the Day: Superman (6 - Front) Batman (1) Riddler's Revenge (2 - Front) Scream (2) Goliath (1) Tatsu (3 - Back) Deja Vu (1) Viper (2) Revolution (2) Colossus (1) Goldrusher (1) Ninja (1) X (1 - Front) Total for the Day: 23 So how did we get on more rides when the park was more crowded on Wednesday? Well we got more lucky with the re-rides, and also skipped leaving the park at any point throughout the day to maximize our time. Total time at Six Flags Magic mountain: 26.5 hours Rides Batman: The Ride: What can I say? It is a typical Batman: The Ride. It is a very good ride. It has a lot of intensity, and the pace never lets up. It also has some really fun inversions and two loops which is nice. The first drop is great as usual. I've always thought the ride needs some more height to it, and some more drops, but it is a nice ride none the less. The location of this one makes it better than the Six Flags Great Adventure version. 7/10 Colossus: The lift is nice but doesn't provide a very good view. The first drop is good, but the following turn around is slow, and not exciting in the least. The next few hills are ok, but are somewhat rough and don't provide any air-time. There are a few more dull turn-arounds, but some of the hills are a bit exciting. There is a double-up hill, and the last few hills of the ride are smooth, fast, and provide pops of air-time. The ride is good, but the roughness along with the slowness really detract from your enjoyment of it. A little bit of rehab could really help this coaster. Don't get me wrong though, it is still an enjoyable coaster. And no, it wasn't racing. 6.5/10 Deja Vu: Deja Vu is one of my favorite rides, but I've found your ride experience depends greatly on your seat. Deja Vu is like Intamin Impulses. If you sit in the back, you rocket up quite high and are staring straight down at the ground below. If you sit in the front, you don't go up as high going backwards, but you go quite high going forwards. In the middle, you don't go high either way. I greatly prefer sitting in the back, as sitting in the back on Deja Vu staring at the concrete below is breathtaking. My ride in the inner seat wasn't all that great, as you literally can't see a thing due to a metal cage connecting the outer seats being right in front of you, but my outer seat ride was quite good. It is amazing going up the back spike looking down at the ground with all of your weight on the restraint and then free-falling to the ground. The cobra roll is exciting and fast, and the loop is disorienting and fun. The second spike is good too. The only thing is that unlike the Georgia and Chicago models, you pause for a second or two before you drop down backwards from the second spike. This pause makes the free-fall more expectant and less thrilling. Going backwards is GREAT. The loop is fast, and the cobra roll is quite disorienting and fun. You are then raised up the back spike and lowered down slowly which is thrilling. The only thing about my rides on Deja Vu was that I rode it at night. Most rides at night are a bit more exciting, but not Deja Vu. The thing that makes Deja Vu one of my favorites, is being raised up those spikes and realizing just how high up you are. On the SFMM model though, there is A) nothing below you, and B) it isn't lighted at all so you can't see anything that allows you to realize how high up in the air you are. This detracts quite a bit of thrill from the ride, which makes the SFoG model and the SFGAm model (where you are raised up over a midway of people), more thrilling. The SFoG model is my favorite. 8.5/10 Goldrusher: This is a nice mine train coaster that travels around Superman which is interesting. There isn't much to the ride, but there are a few nice drops and twists and turns through the tress, and a final helix which is good. All of the above makes it an all around enjoyable mine coaster. 6.5/10 Goliath: The ride was a bit better than I remember. The first drop was taller and much more thrilling than I had remembered, and the tunnel added a lot to it. The first over-banked turn was also thrilling and it was quite high up in the air. An air-time hill follows that gives a nice pop of air. The mid-course-brake run follows, which brings the train to a near complete stop. This does allow a nice sensation if you are in the front, and you are hanging over the next twisted drop for what seems like forever. The rest of the ride is just a lot of fast paced turns with no real drops to speak of. There is also the helix of doom which is incredibly intense. I had a grey-out as I usually do on Titan or Goliath during the helix if I sit in the back. It is somewhat of an unpleasant feeling, but does add to the thrill! Overall, it is a nice ride with a lot of laterals and speed, but not much thrill. And it was too smooth! You almost wanted some roughness. The queue is also quite nice on the ride and has wonderfully landscaping. The entire queue is completely shaded by vegetation. The entrance sign to the ride is also one of the best out there. One interesting note is that on Tuesday, the ride was only running one train all day, and many of my friends waited two and a half hours for it. Two trains were running Wednesday. 8/10 Ninja: This is definitely the best suspended. I have been on. The first lift takes you up only maybe 90 feet or so, but the first twisting drop, and all the drops to come, cascade down the mountain. This allows for large drops to happen after the initial one. The ride itself is a lot of fun. You are flying through tress, and even go over a lagoon at one point which is for the log ride. The turns are taken at a pretty fast speed which allows for some nice swinging. It is definitely one of the more enjoyable family coasters out there. The second lift takes you directly to the station, which is a bit odd as you think something is still to come, but the ride is still very enjoyable. 7/10 Riddler's Revenge: The trains are loaded quite quickly, as the ops don't really care how you are standing, but they still took a while to be dispatched which allowed for a line on Wednesday while most others didn't have one. The lift is great and quite tall (it provides some nice views). The first drop is excellent and long. The first loop is also quite fun as the lift goes through it. Two dive loops follow which are fun, but basically there is just a long piece of straight track connects them. Another near-inversion follows before you hit a very banked turn and head up the mid-course-brake-run. Coming off the brake run and going immediately into a large drop, you get a huge pop of air-time like you do on Mantis. I always enjoy this sensation after exiting a mid-course-brake run. A corkscrew follows the brake run, which is fun, but not very intense. A drawn out turn follows which leads to a hill provide another pop of air-time. Some more turns and small hills with some nice amount of air-time follow, and then another corkscrew which is faster and more intense. It's a great ride, but somehow I always seemed unimpressed after I got off of it, and didn't know why. I recently read the Coastergrotto review of the ride though, and they explain my thoughts perfectly. Basically it is a great ride, but parts of the layout are very "uninspiring". You basically go from one inversion to another with a slight turn or straight piece of track which creates a wish for the ride to be more special. Still, it is a really fun and great ride. It is by far the best stand up in operation with zero discomfort. 8/10 Revolution: This ride wasn't so hot... It is a nice coaster with a really fun layout and excellent use of the terrain, but it has been somewhat destroyed it seems. There are trim brakes on top of every hill, so you get absolutely no speed going over the hills, and you can forget about air-time. Also, the restraints (lap bar and shoulder restraint) are extremely hard (zero padding), and since most of the drops are turning drops, I couldn't avoid hitting my head on the restraints. This made for a painful ride. Still, there were a lot of swooping drops going with the terrain and a nice tunnel at the end which made it relatively enjoyable. It was also interesting seeing the extremely shallow drop into the first loop in the world, and all the warning signs telling you to keep your head back. How times have changed... The ride is in a nice location in the woods with streams running around it. 5.5/10 Scream!: Ahhh how I love this ride. It is definitely one of my very favorites. The ride has great aesthetic appeal. I love the colors, and there is a ton of fencing and signage and landscaping outside of the ride. The queue also has the cool "scream" signs. The outside of the ride could use some paint, but it is still cool. The station is again cool to me. The lift is great, and the first drop is excellent! It is a nice swooping drop which truly makes it feel as if you are flying. It is also long and smooth. A huge loop follows which is taken at the perfect speed. It provides intensity, but is slow enough to also provide some good hang time. A nice dive loop follows, which again is taken at the perfect speed to make you feel like you are flying. While upside down, you can also see the rest of the park behind you. The zero-g-roll follows which is the best part of this ride, and the best inversion on any ride! I just love the sensation. You are completely weightless, and it is taken quite fast. The amount of twisting you do is just amazing. The cobra roll is quite enjoyable and disorienting. The mid-course-brake-run follows, and then you enter a (half) helix. The helix is intense and so close to the ground, you feel as if you could touch the parking lot lines! A quick change in direction hill follows, which is exciting and provides some air-time, and then you enter the interlocking corkscrews part of the ride. This part is really fun, as it is again taken at the perfect speed, and it provides a nice amount of weightlessness. Another change in direction hill follows (more air-time), and then an over-banked turn before the brake run. Wow! Just as good as I remember. The front of the ride was a bit rough, and not very intense, but the back is intense and perfectly smooth. This is the perfect floorless. Everything is taken at the perfect speed so that your enjoyment of each element is the most it can be. I just love this ride (the zero-g-roll particularly). 9.5/10 Superman: I'll keep this short. Basically this feels like driving down the freeway in a convertible. Really, it is the exact same sensation. You don't go up the hill very much, but it does provide a nice bit of air-time (it isn't very thrilling though). I wouldn't wait long for this... But guess what... at one point during the day, I saw both sides running! At the same time! With people. It was great to see, and the mechanic confirmed it. 6.5/10 Tatsu: The location of the ride is quite nice, as it is over a lot. The ride paint job makes it stand out, and the oriental music playing in the station passes time! The trains are typical B&M comfortableness (better than the Vekoma version). Going up the lift is awesome, as you are extremely high up in the air, and you are looking down at midways and lots of trees. The first drop is awesome, as you truly feel like you are flying, and you fly over many trees and the rapids ride. A corkscrew follows, and you then enter a zero-g-roll which is a ton of fun. Two quick turns then lead into the premier element: the pretzel loop. Looking down at what you are about to enter is pretty thrilling. You are so high up! The element is incredible. It is amazingly intense in the back, and you feel like you are on your back for quite a while. Exiting the pretzel loop is also very quick, and extremely intense. Great element! You then enter an inline twist before entering a very tight turn right over the entrance. The tight turn is one of the more intense parts of the ride, second to the pretzel loop. You then have a small pop before entering the brakes. Wow! This ride was really impressive. Not only is the ride itself great, the drop and the pretzel loop and the last turn especially, but it did actually feel like you were flying! And I still can't get over how high up you are for most of the ride. Looking down at the mountain and entrance below is so thrilling. This quickly entered my top 10, and the ride at night is even better, and my experience on Wednesday makes Tatsu one of my favorite rides on the trip. 10/10 Viper: I actually really like Viper. The first drop twists quite a bit, and is very thrilling. The loops are very intense, and experiencing them so high up is fun too. The final corkscrews are the best part of the ride. You enter them so slowly, you experience a ton of weightlessness. It is extremely fun. And I find the ride perfectly smooth, although some people do not. 7.5/10 X: What can I say about X? X is truly incredible, and very quickly moved up into my top 5. The line never actually got that long, and always hung around an hour. The trains themselves are extremely wide, and the station is like an airplane hanger (massive). The ride is just great. Flipping down to face the ground on the first drop is breathtaking, and is especially amazing in the front, as there is nothing below you! The first raven turn is again incredible, and there is tons of weightlessness. The turn around is fun and gives you at least a second to think about what is happening. The zero-g-roll is again incredible. There is so much weightlessness, and it is unbelievably disorienting. The second raven turn is just as good as the first, but much more disorienting. There is also a bit of shaking that the train does through here, which I think makes the ride even more fun and intense! It isn't painful in any way. This ride is just so awesome. And the ride at night I had on Tuesday in the front was the best part of the trip. There is a ton of weightlessness, it is so disorienting, and the first drop is just amazing. This definitely gets a 10. 10/10 Well that's my two days at Six Flags Magic Mountain. All I can say is WOW! The park has some of my favorite coasters, and the park is one of my favorites also. It was just an incredible two days, and I had been looking forward to it for so long. I even got to experience an earthquake in the hotel Wednesday night. I cannot wait to return, but my recent visit will not soon be forgotten. -- Top Thrill 182 --

If CF bought the park though to eventually sell it, why build WWK? I don't think they are aiming to sell it, as Michigan's Adventure lives with CF even though it gets 550,000 guests. What I can't figure out is why CF would be removing Dominator and Thunderhawk. They are definitely the two most popular coasters there, and I can't imagine they are that costly. SV and XF I agree with, but not this. You need one or two good thrill rides even in a family park. Why not get ride of one of the wooden coasters? It would eliminate more costs than the steel ones, and as you can see with RWB and Villain, they are much more of a pain, and less popular by far.

Here are the photos - enjoy!

Here are the photos:

Here are some more photos (they are all up now): Goodbye Great America! You're a great little park. Boomerang Bay entrance shot. Never been on one before. Great ride. One last Top Gun shot. The train in the un-covered station. Some themeing. This was pretty much it other than a radar. The lift. What is that? Vortex's layout. Yes, that's it. Many of the coasters had no enclosed stations. The skyride offered some great picture opportunities. The water play structure. You can actually see every slide Boomerang Bay has to offer in this picture. The two blue speed slides are in the background to the left. The complex of 3 slides is in the foreground (the interesting boomerang slide in the back). Boomerang Bay. Nickelodeon themeing at its finest! The ride layout. Way too much braking! Psycho Mouse. Grizzly was actually quite boring. Every time the train enters this corkscrew, I hear someone complaining of an injury. Nice water fall though. The car ride was actually quite fun. It looks like it could be fun! The station/ train of Grizzly.

Well, I visited for two days. The first day I went over to the left side of the park and did everything over there (Sidewinder, etc) assuming that I would have more than enough time to do Comet, SDL, and Great Bear, and Roller Soaker the next day. Unfortunately, lunch took nearly 45 minutes to get, and also The Boardwalk (and Roller Soaker) was much more crowded than I anticipated, so I just ran out of time. I really liked Roller Soaker though, and really wanted to get on it. I thought it was really fun and different. Sounds like Comet is a good coaster, I've heard that from a few people.

Glad you all liked the report. I think Great America is a great little park. But I agree with Rob, they definitely need a new (and good) coaster. And as said above, the wavepool was closed when I was at the park, but I was there on the 31st of July. I just got back a week ago and it took me a while to write these. However you could see they were doing lifeguard training, so I'm not surprised to hear they've made many changes. And I completely agree about the hours. That park doesn't need to be open any longer, because at 8, it was just dead. Anyways, here are some photos. And sorry about not having them up earlier, I didn't think many people would see it until now. I've uploaded half of the photos now, and the other half will be up in a few hours. Here it is again... Really fun ride with interesting restraints and seats... A lot of nice themeing. Survivor: The Ride. Feet all there? Check... Good ride, but it does need to be a bit taller, because as of now it isn't all that intimidating like a drop tower should be. Still thrilling though. Uh-oh... Invertigo. Shade canopies. GREAT idea. It looks like it could be fun... Maybe even have some air-time? Another example of the surplus of vegetation and shade within the park. Demon through a fence. Lines for the day weren't bad. Again, the park has great landscaping. American flag floral bed with Vortex in the distance. Cedar Fair has taken over. Another nice view of the great entrance area. The fountain really adds a lot. One of the nicest entrances in a park anywhere.

Photos will be uploaded tomorrow. Six Flags Great Adventure Date of Visit: July 28th Weather During Visit: Sunny and extremely hot with a very slight period of rain Crowds During Visit: Light - Medium Time at Park: 10:30am - 10:30pm Trip Report The Park The park itself is very nice. It is extremely large, and everything feels very spaced out. Some pathways and areas, especially the lakefront area, are so spaced out you can forget you are in an amusement park. There are several themed areas within the park. The Golden Kingdom and Plaza Del Carnival are the newest areas, and are excellently themed and have a great atmosphere. There is a ton of landscaping in these areas also. These are the best areas of a Six Flags park I have seen yet. Movie Town, a relatively new area, really lacks any excitement. There is no themeing, or very little themeing, no rides, no shops, no nothing. The area is just very dead, and not nearly as good as Gotham City areas of other Six Flags parks. The Frontier area of the park is the only other noticeably themed area of the park. It could use a bit more themeing, and has a bit too much concrete, but is still a relatively nice area of the park with a real Western feel. The older areas of the park aren't nearly as good, and aren't noticeably themed. They are similar to many of Cedar Point's midways, where individual attractions may be given a theme not tying into an overall area, but these areas of the park lack any landscaping or atmosphere. Unfortunately, there are quite a few of these older areas. Upkeep of the park is decent, but no where near Cedar Fair standards. Queues are broken and dilapidated, you will occasionally find trash in certain areas, and there are plenty of things in the park that have clearly been abandoned (old ride queues, stores, etc). The upkeep wasn't horrible, but could definitely use some improvement. Employees were generally friendly, quite friendly actually, but many weren't very knowledgeable of the park, the park's hours was a big confusion for all the employees. English speaking employees were really needed. Employees at photo stands, and other key locations where they need to be able to communicate with the customer, were unable to understand what kind of photo package I wanted. Still, not horrible, but not great. The Rides Nitro: We got on Nitro twice. The ride has nice aesthetic appeal, with a great paint job, and nice station, and queue. The B&M trains are extremely comfortable as always. THe first drop is great, and tons of floater air follows. The ride length is quite long, but this almost makes the ride a bit monotonous. I actually think it would have been better if it were a bit shorter. The location of the ride isn't as nice as Goliath's (SFoG), and the ride lacked an intense element of any sort. It could have used a good turnaround. Don't get me wrong, its a great ride, but the ride basically goes like this: hill with floater air, hill with floater air, hill with floater air, etc, etc. Floater air is great, but some more elements need to be in the mix. This had a huge helix, but it was so long it felt like one big turn. I felt like this ride was built really "safely". They tried to throw in as much air time as possible so as people would like it, but didn't try to do anything else with the ride. Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia on the other hand seems to get out there, put its best elements on the table, and gets done. As you can tell, I prefer Goliath to this. While Nitro ended up not being amazing, or a top 10 ride, it is a great ride with tons of air time. 9/10 Batman The Ride: A nice intense ride as usual. It was smooth and a lot of fun. Nice loops and zero-g-roll. It is a really nice and intense invert. 8/10 Skull Mountain: This was a really fun little indoor coaster. The ride was completely dark, and I do mean completely, so it was a surprisingly good ride filled with air-time and unexpected twists and turns. It was a simply enjoyable ride. One thing I did notice though, is as the day went on and it got sunnier, the ride building would get lighter allowing you to see some of the track. 7/10 Rolling Thunder: The first ride I got on this (right side) was horribly rough and had little to no air-time. The second ride however was great! It was fast, it had a lot of air-time, and was very enjoyable. This was the left side, and was very fun. 7.5/10 El Toro: This is the best and most insane coaster I have ever been on. The trains are extremely comfortable, and you aren't stapled. The crew was quite efficient as supervisors were usually present. The lift feels just as fast, if not faster, as Millennium Force. It provides a nice view of Medusa and Kingda Ka. A quick turn around at the top of the lift leads to the first drop. The first drop is absolutely insane. In the back of the train, you get ejector air during the first drop that seems to last forever, and it is definitely more air than on any other coaster. The drop is long and amazingly steep. The roaring of the train as you hit the wood exiting the first drop is a great feeling. Two more hills follow that produce the same great air-time, which is still insane ejector air. The ride is already great. You then enter a steep turn-around (steeply banked) which leads to a nice hill that produces floater air-time that flies past the station. The hill gives you a split second to breath before the next element. You go up a hil while turning to the left, and then fly over the top of the hill. Going down is insanely steep, and longer than the uphill part. The ejector air here is almost as insane as the first drop. Since it is in the middle of the ride and less expected, to me this is the best part of the ride (hill rather). Three Maverick tkype quick change in direction turns follow, hwich add to the excitement. An s-turn type element follows which leads to another nice hill and then the brake run. Even at the end of the ride you are still traveling at a really fast speed. At this point, this is my number 1 coaster. The insane ejector air, and I do mean insane, the awesome steeply banked quick change in direction turns, and the fact that it is the smoothest coaster I have ever been on (and it is wood) makes this an insane #1 coaster. 10/10 Great American Scream Machine: The dispatches were very slow for some reason. There was some trash in the station, a large container of orange juice to be specific. The ride felt very slow, and was also quite bumpy. The bumpyness wasn't horrid, but the coaster was still very boring. 6/10 Kingda Ka: The ride was running perfectly all day. Lines were very minimal, and were even a walk-on for much of the day. We waited 35 minutes for the front though. The ride was quite bumpy, and there was a 3-tug launch which I am not a fan of. Literally, you can feel the cable yanking on you 3 different times. The one tug launch on Dragster is more intense and comfortable in my opinion. The ride felt incredibly intense throughout though (I felt plastered to the seat), but I don't know if this is only because I haven't ridden front on Dragster recently. The ride still fell short of Dragster by quite a bit. The bunny hill added to the disorienting feeling of the ride, but this also detracted from the fun. Dragster's straight away after the hill allows you to feel your speed more. It also didn't feel like you were on top of Kingda Ka's hill as long as Dragster's, as it looked like Kingda Ka tended to over launch. 7.5/10 Superman: Ultimate Flight: The dispatches were good (35 minute line with a full queue) but the ride is a bit dull other than the intense and fun pretzel loop. 7.5/10 Medusa: This ride (and Scream!) is still one of my favorites. There is a great layout, especially with the zero-g-roll and the interlocking corkscrew section. The floorless trains only add to the ride's "fun" factor. This is a great ride. 9/10 Mine Train: It was a bit short, and other than a nice helix and turn over the water, it was pretty dull. Other than the occasional boredom, it was a fine mine-train coaster. 6/10 Other Rides/Attractions There really aren't many other rides at this park to talk about. Kiddie rides are in great supply, but there is a concerning lack of flats at the park. Houdini's Great Escape was quite fun (you sit in a car while the room spins around you making you feel like you are spinning). The sky ride provided a nice view of the park. Notes/Observations -Employees were generally quite friendly -Upkeep of the park could be better -One woman took a bag on one ride that flipped numerous times, and mid-ride the bag opened, sending a razr cell phone, camera, sun tan lotion, and numerous dollar bills flying through the air (it was cool to watch) -Nitro ride-op got angry and started screaming in the station as people were trying to leave their lap bars up slightly in order to obtain the most air time. One quote from him was "Six Flags does not allow air-time". Mind you, during his rant, the train was e-stopped half in and half out of the station. After the screaming, we pulled ours in as tight as possible. Next up: (Paramount's) Great America I have many more photos that will be uploaded after I finish with all the trip reports. I should get the next few out quite quickly as they are already written mostly. -TT182- A little preview...

Photos will be uploaded tomorrow. (Paramount's) Great America Date of Visit: July 31st Weather During Visit: Sunny Crowds During Visit: Very Light Time at Park: 10:30am - 8:00pm Trip Report The Park I was somewhat skeptical of the park after reading some very mediocre things about it online, but I was very surprised with the park itself. The entrance is quite nice. There is a large fountain with a double decker carousel. There is quite a bit of landscaping which includes much of the lush vegetation of California, and everything looks very new (freshly painted benches and signs, etc). Even the ticket booths had nice architecture. The rest of the park was nicely spaced, and had the same lush vegetation as the entrance. There wasn't one section of the park which I thought needed more trees or flowers. It wasn't over done though. Everything also looked quite new throughout the rest of the park, and nothing really needed paint or repair. Overall, the park was extremely nice. It is definitely one of the nicer parks I have been to, not the rides, just the park. There are numerous nice shows in the park. One magic show held in a huge theater was quite funny. The kids areas in the park are superb with quite a bit of Nick themeing. This is what a true kids area can be, and I hope CF takes notice. The themeing is just great, and all the kids love it. I hope the Nick characters get introduced into CF parks. If Great America could just get one great coaster, it would be an extremely nice park which I would actually want to visit again. Unfortunately at the moment, the park is filled with numerous rides that aren't bad, but are just OK. The Rides Grizzly: This is definitely one of the more boring coasters I have been on. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but nothing right with it either. The layout was slow, boring, and unmemorable. It also had no air-time whatsoever. It was just not memorable at all. 5.5/10 Psycho Mouse: This wild mouse had a slow and boring top section, which offered little forces. The second half of the ride could have been good, but was too heavily braked, so it wasn't crazy fun, and the air-time was minimal. Disappointing in comparison to the one at Hershey. 5.5/10 Vortex: Again, there wasn't anything wrong with the ride, but not much right with it either. It was relatively smooth and had some fun elements, but it was low to the ground, slow, very, very short, and relatively boring. 6/10 Demon: This ride had cheaper looking themeing than the one at Six Flags Great America. One tunnel usually has tons of lights flash as you go through it, but none of the lights were working on my ride. The ride is somewhat boring, and the last corkscrew can be painful if you are not expecting it. Still, it is an ok ride. 5.5/10 Top Gun: Hands down the best coaster at the park. It had a great layout. It had a nice loop, spin after the loop going up, zero-g-roll, and an awesome finale over water with corkscrews. It could have been longer, but it was still an awesome ride. You actually felt like you could touch the water in the finale. It was a nice mix between fun and intense. I didn't enjoy it a ton the first ride I got on it, but I got 3 more re-rides later, and it kept getting better. You have to enjoy it for what it is, as it is just fun and cool, not amazing. 8.5/10 The kiddie coasters were actually quite good. Runaway Reptar had mist and other themeing. **We did not get on Invertigo as I have an installment at Kings Island, and I don't think its that hot. Plus, the ride was supposed to be closed all day, and when it finally re-opened, I didn't feel like subtracting water park time for it.** Other Rides/Attractions Boomerang Bay was a great water park. It had two awesome speed slides, and three amazing tube slides. One was a boomerang type slide that had a huge trop, and went forward and backward. You actually got air-time on this one. The other was a family raft slide, very long and fun with numerous people in a raft, and the final one was an enclosed slide which was quite nice. The lazy river looked great, and had a ton of wonderful landscaping. The water play structure was also quite nice, and there were a few nice kids activity areas. The wave pool was still closed (although it appeared they were doing life guard training in there). Overall, the water park had the perfect mix of attractions, and had wonderful Australian themeing and landscaping. This is a wonderful water park, and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area. Plus, it is included in park admission! There was a sky ride which provided nice views, and also a swinging inverter where if you spit, you would get kicked out of the park (they never really held up the kicking people out part of it though). We rode Drop Zone, which was quite small in height, but we got off with our feet after a thrilling ride! Notes/Observations -Park extremely uncrowded -Numerous extra employees simply "chilling" -Souvenir prices were cheap -Nice collection of shows -Great water park -Great amusement park / just needs good rides (new ones) -Park has horribly short hours -Park is nice and looks new, tons of landscaping Next Up: Knott's Berry Farm -TT182-

Photos will be uploaded tomorrow. Hershey Park Date of Visit: July 26th - 27th Weather During Visit: Sunny Crowds During Visit: Light Time at Park: (Day 1) 7:00pm - 10:00pm (Day 2) 10:00am - 3:30pm Trip Report The Park: This park didn't really meet my expectations. I wasn't expecting a ton from it, but I had heard so much hype about the park I thought it would be one of those amazing parks. The one good thing was it wasn't as cluttered (coaster on top of coaster) as it looked in pictures, but I didn't think any of the rides were particularly amazing, and I didn't the park was as nice as Cedar Point. Still it was a great park with some great rides, just not amazing. The park itself was lightly themed. The Boardwalk water park had the most themeing, but even that was pretty minimal. The rest of the park had little to no themeing. Many people complain that Cedar Fair parks don't have a ton of trees or landscaping, and wide open concrete pathways. Well I've found that isn't all bad... Hershey Park had quite a few trees, and most midways were broken up with trees and planters and benches and such in the middle. This made it extremely hard to walk around. The midways were so curvy, and that combined with a lot of people, made it annoying just to get from point A to point B. The entrance was horrific. It was way to small, and almost impossible to navigate. This is the worst entrance I have seen so far. The park is very similar to Cedar Point: historic, and nice. The Rides Storm Runner: After Top Thrill Dragster, a launch of this speed seems slow. The ride itself also felt very slow, and if what others around me were saying is true, the ride has been slowed down from past years (at least on this day). The ride was enjoyable, but it still felt quite short and left you wanting more. There were a few nice elements (the flying snake dive is great) and the s-turn was also quite fun. There was quite a bit of air-time on the top-hat. Overall, nice launch and a few exciting elements, but still not an "amazing" coaster as I was led to believe. 8.5/10 Sidewinder: This is a typical, bumpy boomerang with bad dispatches. It was especially painful in the loop and while going backwards. A lot of the boomerangs have just gotten bumpy and rough. 4.5/10 Wild Cat: I didn't find anything wrong with the ride, but there wasn't really anything right with it either. It wasn't rough or painful, but there was zero air-time. The layout was also a bit dull. Some air-time could have really helped. The one thing it did have was some good night lighting throughout the ride. The new trains were quite comfortable which made the ride better. 6/10 Lightning Racer: This ride gets a ton of hype, so when I first rode it I had extremely high expectations. At first I thought the ride was only mediocre, but after 5 or 6 more rides on it, I was loving it. It was extremely smooth, you actually wanted a bit more roughness, and there was lots of air-time. It had great night lighting, like that on Wild Cat, and the racing of the trains was always extremely close and fun to watch while on the ride. It was just an extremely fun ride. It went especially fast through all the hills and turns. 8.5/10 Wild Mouse: This is the best wild mouse I have been on. It has insane speed throughout the ride, especially on the turns, and there was a ton of air-time on all the hills. It was extremely fun. 8/10 Roller Soaker: While the coaster itself wasn't that great, not much more than a dull mine train, the originality of the ride made it a nice experience. There were tons of water effects (you get completely soaked on the ride), and it was fun for riders as well as spectators. It was just a really cool and fun experience. Dropping water from the cars is cool, as well as launching water at people from the ground. I did see numerous people dumping their water in the stations though which was humorous... The lines got quite long as the dispatches were insanely slow due to the small course and small trains. 7.5/10 **Note** Unfortunately due to time constraints we were unable to get on Great Bear, Superdooperlooper, Comet, and Trailblazer. Great Bear looks fun, but the others I don't really care about. Other Rides/Attractions Hershey's Chocolate World: It was a bit too touristy for my liking (this isn't an actual chocolate factory, but instead a movie and a dark ride type thing), but it was still cool to learn how they make the chocolate. You could smell the chocolate all through the parking lot! Buying huge pieces of chocolate was also nice. The Boardwalk: We were able to visit the Boardwalk for a few hours. The water play structure is amazing. It is huge, and there is water absolutely everywhere. You can definitely tell it is the biggest in the world. The Boardwalk is nice overall, but extremely small which creates mammoth lines. We didn't even attempt to wait in line for the 4 main slides as the line was probably a half mile long. Even the slides on the water play structure had 30 minute lines. Also, the "wave pool" is nothing more than a toddler pool with ripples. I was amazed at how small it was. Also there is no lazy river, big pool, etc. If they add more attractions, it will be quite nice. The water park is plopped down in the middle of the park though, and it all feels a bit cramped. Notes/Observations -Employees were extremely laid-back (puting feet up on ride gates, not always paying very much attention, etc) -Midways were much too small as it was hard to walk around -Nice collection of water attractions, Tidal Force ride makes a huge splash -Prices were a bit steep -Long lines at food places Longest Line of the Day: Roller Soaker at 25 minutes Next up: (Paramount's Great America) -- TT182 -- A lot of pics to come...

I went a few weeks ago, and had some experience with how they operate in rain. At one point of the day I noticed several rides closed (Parachute tower, Kingda Ka, Rapids ride, log ride, sky ride) when the weather was quite sunny and nothing seemed to be approaching. Well I asked a few employees and apparently inclement weather was approaching, and thats why some of these rides were closed. Well the first sign of inclement weather was an hour later, at which point you could see some dark clouds in the distance. At this point, many other rides closed such as El Toro, Nitro, etc. The inclement weather was only a bit of rain, which lasted literally 10 minutes, but that was enough to shut down most attractions for quite a while. Some rides were closed for almost 2 hours for just 10 minutes rain. Take from that what you will. If there isn't too much rain in the forecast, the park is still manageable.

When I was at Magic Mountain (August 7th and 8th) I was surprised to see them running both sides of Superman. No, they weren't being launched at the same time, but both sides were operating for an hour or two, and then the next day, one side was open with the other testing. After talking with a mechanic he claimed the ride still hit 90mph, but the launch really feels no faster than 80mph to me.

Well I took another trip up to CP this Sunday (7-23-07). We arrived at the park at about noon, and the parking lot was already to 33 on the sides, and up to 40 in the middle. Cars were also still pouring in (apparently there had been an accident on the causeway which blocked up traffic for half an hour). The parking lot back here is starting to look a bit shabby, but the wonderful skyline made up for it. Weather The weather was quite sunny, and in the upper 70's throughout most of the day. Crowds The park was quite crowded. The parking lot was full for most of the day, and rides had lines longer than previous days I've visited. Trip Report: Magnum We rode Magnum once. There was a 20 minute wait. The first half of the ride was great as usual, but the trims were on pretty strong so the second half of the ride was slower than I ever remember. There wasn't any ejector air, only a bit of floater going over the bunny-hops. Did anyone else notice this over the weekend, or was it just a one time thing like I'm assuming? Still, a really nice ride. 7/10 Top Thrill Dragster We rode Top Thrill Dragster once. There was a 50 minute wait. This was the most flawless I've ever seen TTD run. Not one breakdown, not one delay, not a single pause. It must have hit projected interval every-time. It was just clipping along. A grouper was in the station keeping it nice and calm. Incredible ride as usual. The speed just feels unbelievably intense every-time, and I truly think the ride is perfect how it is now without any other elements. That launch is still just -- amazing. 9/10 Power Tower: Turbo Launch We rode Power Tower: Turbo Launch once. There was a 5 minute wait. Still a really nice ride; even the Turbo Launch. It is just thrilling, but enjoyable at the same time. 8/10 - - - - We had a quick lunch at Sky Ride refreshments. The serving was slow to say the least, but the burger was decent and the french fries were very good. Interesting amusement park prices these days. - - - - Mantis We rode Mantis once. There was an hour and 15 minute wait. The sign said an hour and 15 minutes, and that's exactly what it turned out to be. The ride has a great location, and even though the line moves at a tortoise pace, it is enjoyable to look at both the ride and the water. Even with two trains, stacking was horrible. If they could get these trains out a little faster so that by the time the first one came back the second one was already on the lift, the line wouldn't always be so lengthy. The blame doesn't all fall on the ride-ops though. Some people suddenly realize they are holding onto their purse, or some other unbelievably large loose article, only after the whole train has been checked, and delay it by getting out of the train and going to the bin. A grouper was keeping the station to one train's worth of people and no more. Nice change. The ride was still mediocre. The head-banging wasn't too bad (I took great effort to lean into the transitions as usual), but the ride just had this horrible bouncy feeling to it, or shimmying, which still produced a slight headache. I still think this ride is a waste of space at CP. Something great could go here. 6/10 Millennium Force We rode Millennium Force once. There was an hour and 15 minute wait. The line was moving quite fast, and although the line was further back than it is normally a few rows past the vending machines, we still got on in an hour and 15 minutes. It was an amazing ride, and one that makes me still consider this to be my number one coaster. Floater air was still in great supply even in the front, and it felt especially fast, which helps make the over-banked turns and such much more thrilling. And how can you beat that first drop? Perfectly smooth today. 10/10 - - - - We had some dinner at Famous Dave's around 6:00pm. They seemed a bit short staffed, as tables were open, but there was a 45 minute wait for a table (although I think they were holding people longer because the ticket times in the kitchen were quite long). Food came quickly though and was great. - - - - CPLE Railroad We rode the train to Frontier Town once. It was a walk-on. The railroad was the railroad, but it did provide a nice view of the finished Maverick and its superb landscaping. The one thing I had to mention though, is how stupid some people are with the railroad crossings. I get that it is a slower moving train at an amusement park, but still, it is dangerous, and rules are still in place. I know people try to run under the gates when they start to close, but it was worse than I've ever seen it today. Even when the gates had completely closed, a few kids ran up, ducked under the gate, and ran across. Some older people tried this too, but then went back. I just don't get why people would act like this, and think the ride ops here need to take a firmer stance to people rushing the gates. Ok, end of rant. Skyhawk We rode Skyhawk once during this time. There was a 40 minute wait. They really need to get their act together over here. CP either needs to tell the employees to hustle more, like they did last year, or they need to add some more employees. With the ride being so short, it is a little annoying to wait 40 minutes, especially since the delay is the ride hosts checking restraints for 5+ minutes. Some people were commenting on this as well. Still, it is an amazing ride. Every-time I ride it, I am surprised at the height, and it is very enjoyable. One of the most "enjoyable" rides CP has to offer. 9/10 Thunder Canyon We rode Thunder Canyon twice. It was a walk-on. This is just a really great, fun ride, in a perfect woodsy setting. I got drenched both times (the second time getting hit head on by 4 water falls). Again, an extremely enjoyable ride. We had the raft to ourself the first time, but others were being sent out full. Everyone just really enjoys this one. The water fall finale is unbeatable! 8.5/10 Snake River Falls We rode Snake River Falls once. It was a walk-on. We again got the boat to ourself. Another fun water ride. The drop always is surprisingly steep, fast, and thrilling, and you just get drenched in that splash. Interestingly enough, there was a 30 minute wait for the ride close to 7:00pm. I do have some notes on this ride though, which I will mention in the notes section as well. They are only letting 3 people in a row. This was an all-day policy from the looks of it, and was the same on my last visit. The splash is definitely smaller. You don't notice it on the ride by any means, but now only your lower body gets drenched on the splash bridge, where as before your entire body would get hit head on (and it felt more forceful). You will still get soaked on the bridge, it just isn't as forceful and only soaks waist level down. Also, I remember in previous years, you could get some mist from the splash standing all the way back on the bridge by the Maverick turnaround. Not anymore. Again its not a huge deal, you will still get soaked if you want, but it is noticeable even if you aren't directly looking for it. 8.5/10 - - - - I was hoping to get a nice night ride on Maverick, but the wait was just as long, if not a bit longer, than it was during the day, and on other days for that matter. I'm surprised how stagnant this line stays. An hour and 15 minutes isn't bad for a new ride, but I'm surprised how this one always seems to stay at that. Since it was already 9:40, and we don't live next door, we decided to get a few laps on Skyhawk instead. - - - - Skyhawk We rode Skyhawk 3 more times. It was a walk-on each time. They opened the gate right by the loading area to allow for quick re-rides. Same great ride as I mentioned above, but better at night. It just feels as if you are flying. Truly an exhilarating ride, and while it is short, I'd say it beats maXair by a bit. We got 3 laps on the ride in 15 minutes, and also the last ride of the night. We even caught a few views of fireworks while swinging. - - - - - Well that concludes my day at Cedar Point. My ride count wasn't all that impressive, except for at the end, but it was nice to see crowds at the place. I will be visiting again Tuesday before heading off to California to visit some parks out there. Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's are surely on the agenda! - - - - Notes: - Maverick seems to drain the crowds from Frontier Town at night instead of adding to it - Despite the day being very crowded, Frontier Town attractions were all complete walk-ons by 9:00pm - Maverick line stayed completely stagnant at an hour and a half to 2 hours all day -Crews for the most part very efficient this year, also more professional and close to protocol it seems - Park looks great at night - Despite Power Tower still having some serious lighting issues, everything else looks better than it has (TTD's countdown lights are brighter and look better without covers, MF lift hill lights bright again, etc) - Continued effort on landscaping by the park (and trees) - Chaos at railroad crossings - blatant disregard to rules - In park entertainment great, shows and DJs - TTD's line moved quckly, worked flawlessly, shortest line of bigger rides

Well I took a trip up to Cedar Point this past Wednesday. This was only my second of the season unfortunately, but I am going to go a few times this week. Weather The forecast was a bit grim, but it rained only once during the day for maybe a half an hour. Temperatures were in the upper 70's / low 80's, and it was quite humid. Crowds The parking lot was only at about 28, and wasn't crowded at all on the sides, but the park still seemed mildly crowded. I'm still trying to re-adjust, as I went to CP numerous times last year during the insanely crowded days, so in comparison, these days don't seem that bad. Big rides still had big lines, but the smaller rides had barely any wait for them. Trip Report maXair We rode maXair once, the wait was 4 minutes. We only had to wait one cycle to get on. I have never seen the line so small. It did however build to its normal 40 minute line after we got off. It is a really great ride. It just goes higher and higher, the spinning is amazing, and it has a really nice length to it. It felt as if it wasn't going to end! This is a really great addition to Cedar Point. 8/10 Wicked Twister We rode Wicked Twister once, the wait was 10 minutes. I have always loved this ride. It is fast, and sitting in the back it seems to go incredibly high and the twisting is pretty intense. It was a great ride as usual, with little wait. The crew was especially efficient and friendly. One employee asked me how my day was going, and everyone was smiling. Many of these employees were also literally running while they were checking the train. Really great crew. 8.5/10 Chaos We rode Chaos once, it was a walk on. I really love this ride, and prior to maXair and Skyhawk it was my favorite flat. Lots of insane flipping, lots of fun. 8/10 Iron Dragon We rode Iron Dragon once, the wait was 10 minutes. Nice little ride as usual. The mist was on in the pond and was a nice effect. This is a nice relaxing ride, and is perfect for those 46 inch kids out there, or those who don't care for coasters. 5.5/10 Millennium Force We rode Millennium Force once, the wait was an hour and ten minutes. The line moved along at a brisk pace, but was still a relatively long line. The first hill was amazing as usual, and there was an abundance of floater air which is great, but the whole turnaround was a bit dull today. It was also just a bit jerkier. Still an amazing ride, but not quite as good as my first ride of the season. The view from the top of the hill is unforgettable though. 9/10 - - - - - At this time we proceeded to Maverick, but it began to sprinkle and the ride immediately closed. Is this normal? It was just sprinkling, and I thought during its media day it ran through the rain all day? We instead went to Skyhawk. - - - - - Skyhawk We rode Skyhawk once, the wait was 20 minutes. Employees were just plain slow! Load times were ridiculous. At once I thought it was broken, but I realized they were just slow, and if they ever had to release the restraints for whatever reason, it took forever to re-check them. Have they always had just 2 employees checking restraints? I remember when it first opened they would run around doing their checks, and tried to be efficient with the arms up thing. But now it is if they don't care, and just move at whatever pace they feel like. Something needs to be done over here... The ride was amazing as usual. Every time I ride this I amazed at just how high it goes. They could use one more big swing, if they could get load times down, but still this ride is on par with maXair, maybe even better. Another great addition to CP in recent years. 8.5/10 - - - - - We then rode the train from Frontier Town to the main midway. Nice ride as usual. We exited the park and had lunch at Famous Dave's. Great place to eat. GREAT service (I think every employee in the whole place came to sing happy birthday to one party), and the food was delicious as usual. It wasn't too crowded as we went late in the day for lunch. We then re-entered the park. - - - - - Maverick We rode Maverick once, and the wait was an hour and ten minutes. I am surprised just how stagnant the wait time has been for this thing. It just never gets any shorter or longer. The sign, as usual, said an hour and a half, but we were on a little faster. I chose the back seat. Again, this is a truly amazing ride. I kept my head back during this ride, and it eliminated virtually all discomfort which made it even more enjoyable. The first half of the ride is truly amazing. The ejector air during the first drop is indescribable, as well as the first air time hill. I can't decide between the front and the back... The front doesn't have long lines though which is nice. No mist in the tunnel today, nor was the fire hose working, but the water bombs were. The launch was great as usual, and we barely came to a stop before it. I accidently put my head forward during the stengal dives, which hendered my enjoyment of the element as my neck was banged against the restraint, so I can't wait to ride it Saturday and experience the element again. WOW. Still, a great ride. I hate to say it, but today, this was my number 1 coaster. I want to ride it and MF again Saturday though, before I re-adjust my top 10. The fountain in the pond got rid of algae and looks nice, and the pond by the WWL queue looks to have been stocked with catfish and tadpoles. 10/10 Gemini We rode Gemini once, there was a 2 train wait. This was a great ride as usual. Smooth, lots of airtime, and very enjoyable. We didn't race due to someone with an undone seat-belt as they were leaving the station on the other train which delayed it slightly. 6.5/10 Magnum We rode Magnum once, there was a 2 train wait. I went to the second row, and got on quite quickly as usual. The ride was great as usual. Extremely smooth, more so than past seasons, tons of airtime, and an all around enjoyable ride. All the rides with "M's" are great in my books. Well, except one... This ride is still in my top 10 by far. 8.5/10 Top Thrill Dragster We rode Top Thrill Dragster once, the wait was just over an hour. TTD had a sign up saying it would open late, and it opened around 1 or 2 pm. There was zero downtime while we were waiting, it ran flawlessly actually, and the line moved quite quickly. We rode in the back. The launch was just incredibly fast, and having this be my first ride of the season, it felt faster than ever. The view from the top is great, and for the first time ever, I realized just how weightless I was cresting that hill and going down. No part of me was touching the seat. Only the restraint. Really amazing ride as usual. I did notice some things about this ride - mostly cosmetics. The trains look great, as well as the LED countdown lights now that the covers have been removed. I think it looks better this way. The track however is in desperate need of painting. Not all of it, yet, just the launch track as most of it has turned black. They could paint the launch track one year, the brake run the next, and the tower the next. It would make it look a lot better. They cleaned the signs in the line (the Dragster facts ones) and while they all look new, there is one actual new sign which shows just how faded all the others have become. And I really wish CP would remove that ever so ugly wooden fence in the line. It is really ugly, and looks more like a temporary construction fence instead of a fence around a 20+ million dollar ride. Still, its a great ride. - - - - - We then left the park. Lines at this point looked to be pretty short - Raptor looked to be 10 minutes, Wicked Twister was a walk on, etc. Notes: - Aquatic stadium looks like it is being preserved / but it would seem as though they will remove it since they cancelled the show - TTD in desperate need of paint - Employees extremely friendly and efficient in most areas - The park is really the nicest (tons of landscaping, and every coaster just gives such a "wow" factor, great atmosphere) - Skyhawk not run very efficiently - Maverick closed with the slightest rain (no fog in tunnel) Overall it was a great day! Hope you enjoyed my TR. I am hoping to visit again on Saturday. -- TT182 --

Wow. Awesome TR! I completely agree about Mantis. It occupies such a nice location and yet is such a mediocre ride at best. It is just really painful (especially with the lack of padding on the restraints). And the loading time for Skyhawk is rediculous. One more swing facing the ground would make it incredible. It is already great, but another swing would make a difference. Hopefully this can happen after the line dies down in a few years. I see two issues with this ride. 1.) The employees actually need to hurry like they did on opening year. They move at a slow pace, and frankly, that is what can make the line pretty long. 2.) They really need two more employees checking restraints. They don't need them all day, but only during the peak of the day when the line is the longest. If they could crank up capacity a bit, they could add a few more swings.

I'm taking a trip to Knott's in early August, and am also hoping it will be open by then as it is really good. Then again, I don't want the caves collapsing on me... I'm glad they are fixing it. On a side note did Perilous Plunge ever re-open? Were they doing major upgrades to it or just yearly maintenance?

It is just a shame that this accident couldn't have been prevented. I'm not saying this is the park's fault, but there seem to be so many factors that led up to the drowning. 1.) The parents let the 4 year old go off by himself. It would be one thing if the parents were at the base of the pool looking in with the kid in the shallow area, but to be off in another area is unbelievable. I can't imagine letting a 4 year old child of mine go to a wave pool by themselves. 2.) The lifeguards were unable to see the kid before it was too late. Again, I'm not saying it is their fault, but it does seem like from being at GL they could be a bit more watchful in the shallow end to prevent possible inattentiveness from taking a life. It also would have prevented a lot of grief, for the lifeguards too, if someone had of seen the kid earlier. 3.) Other people in the pool. I get that most parents are busy watching their kids, but again it is just a shame someone wasn't able to notice something wrong with the kid earlier, either someone in the pool, or someone watching it from chairs. It is just a shame that so many factors led to this. It does sort of raise concern for me on multiple levels. Obviously it is hard to control how other people watch their kids, but I do hope that Great America will perhaps readjust their life-guarding systems to try to prevent something like this from happening again. I can see both sides to this. On the one hand, life-guards should never be expected to take on the role of "parent" and watch your kids for you, but then again you hope that if something does happen life-guards would be able to notice and respond quickly. I'm not saying that this was the life-guards fault, as I'm sure this whole thing happened very quickly and they responded as quickly as they could, but it is food for thought. Obviously the parents are to blame here, and whether or not they truly did lose sight of him accidentally, they still shouldn't be blaming the park unless they were negligent, which it doesn't sound like they were.

While this is certainly tragic, it's not at all surprising to me. I like to consider myself as a pretty good swimmer, but even I have had scary moments in the deep end of wave pools. Not being able to swim well and not being supervised can be a horrible combination when in water parks...