AmyUD06

Just posted up my report from my visit to this park on June 30th, right here. Check it out and see if Thunder Run was truly worthy of being my 250th!

I guess I should probably finish this report sometime within a month after it happened, right? Kentucky Kingdom, June 30th. This was my first time ever at this park...and boy was it...underwhelming? That's a big flag. At least the entrance is nice. And they use the fast-scanners too. Come on CF, get on the ball with these. My first time ever seeing a Huss Breakdance that wasn't themed to something. First up here was Lightning Run. Two train wait for the front row. This was kinda insane. Definitely a fan of the Hyper GT-X model and will join everyone else in echoing "Why aren't there more of these?" A few of the transitions were a bit abrupt, but yeah this was awesome. 9/10. Also, did RMC have something do with the restraint design? It's almost identical to theirs. Same Ferris Wheel model as at Morey's, except without the suicide-prevention cages. Next up was Kentucky Flyer. One train wait for the back row. A very fun ride...I was expecting something like Wooden Warrior at Quassy, but was pleasantly surprised by the solid airtime. Still not sure how I feel about the Timberliner trains though, and it could be longer. 8/10. That is one tall water slide...reminded me of the massive speed slides that used to be at Action Park, NJ. I had to do it to make Thunder Run my #250th at my fellow TPRers recommendation, plus I'm never one to turn down a credit, so yeah...next up was T3. This sign speaks the truth: 22 minute wait for the front row. So what did I think that is widely regarded as one of the worst coasters on the planet? Not too bad. I don't know what everyone complains about. It's no Great Nor'Easter, sure, but it's far from the worst SLC I've ever been on. Yeah, the restraints got a little tight by the end, but nowhere near bad as SkyRush. You've just gotta follow the instructions and brace against the restraint by pushing against them with your hands while you're riding. It's also incredibly photogenic on the exit path, but I didn't feel like standing around for 10 minutes for them to send another train. Still, it is a janky SLC, so...3/10? Moving along, we come to Storm Chaser. One train wait for the back row. This is a top tier RMC, right behind Twisted Timbers in my book. It has everything I love about RMCs...wild airtime, funky turns, and those super-quick inversions. It was a little rough, but I blame that on the 1st generation RMC trains with the single axles. I deeply regret not making this #250 (you'll see why later). 10/10. This park has a 1919(?) carousel that doesn't appear to have ever been updated (it still has the stairs at the platform), and it could certainly use a little love. Maybe not a SFStL 3 year refurbishment, but something. Next on the list was Roller Skater. Like a 10 minute wait solely because they won't run it with only one person on it. Whatever, it's a kiddie coaster...no rating. I did express solidarity with the ride op and wished him a happy last day of Pride month...I couldn't imagine being LGBTQ+ in Kentucky. Nice little history board...mostly about other parks LOL. The infamous flying-shoe swings ride. And finally, it was time to get my 250th credit...Thunder Run! My first ride was on the front row (one train wait). This was awesome...tons of airtime, good laterals, easily tied with Storm Chaser for the best ride here. Maybe could use some Millennium Flyers, but overall, awesome. 10/10....or is it? My second ride was in the back row (half-train wait). OMG this was just a jackhammering, shuffling mess, and gave me a massive headache. I have no idea how the same coaster could be so different between the front and back rows. 0/10 in the back....so I guess 6/10 overall? I grabbed a salted pretzel with vanilla icing from Twisted, absolutely delicious and only $7. Amusingly there were 5 employees inside the pretzel place, but only two were actually working...the others were just chatting about nonsense with eachother. A few other notes about this park: -Most food stands were not open. -Lots of long pathways with no shade or anything to do on them. -Half of the soda stations were unmanned but did work; the other half had staff charging you. A decent stop on the trip, but I don't see myself coming back here anytime soon barring some new major coaster. My next stop was Holiday World, a much, much better park.

Glad you had a good time! I can't remember the last time I've seen Racer running both sides, even when the park is busy.

*Shrug* When I bought my passes for this year back in Feb, the renewal was $220 and the FL+ was $950.

Not that much of an increase. Pass price went up by like $20-30, drink plan by less than $5, and FL+ by $49. Reasonable.

Without FT, Fahrenheit should be your priority. It has both the best FT implementation and the worst capacity, I'd then say SkyRush next, since it can be temperamental and you don't want to miss out if a sensor throws a weird code or the lift cable snaps and it stays closed for the rest of the day. Otherwise Boldy's advice makes sense. With FT you don't need a plan, just don't be surprised when you encounter Cedar Point-esque merge points on many rides. Some other tips: -Don't skip the log flume. You don't get too wet and its one of the few left that have a little jump at the bottom of the main drop. -Don't skip SuperDooperLooper. If you've been on Revolution at SFMM or MindBender at SFoG, imagine that but with no trims. -Mac and Cheese from the place down by Trailblazer's entrance was bangin'. -Don't forget about Preview Night - your ticket gets you in for the last two hours of the night before your visit. Keep the same ticket and parking slip for both days. -Don't waste time in the water park. Lines will be double-insane for everything there and there really isn't anything unique aside from the water coaster.

Yes, the first drop was steepened. You will get airtime, even with the trims, towards the back of the train, on the first drop, and the first hill after the drop, as well as the new little "bump" they put it before the second tunnel. The helix was also substantially changed, and is more awesome, but I won't ruin the surprise for you. Prepare to be very impressed.

No one died. There was an accident where a boat rolled back flipped over, injuring the passengers, but only one was taken to a hospital and they were later released. Also nothing like the big splash boat rides you mentioned. 10 passenger boats, and it closed at the end of the 2015 season, two years after the aforementioned incident. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoot_the_Rapids

There's also the plethora of other entertainment options in North Jersey.

Oops... Well it was news to me haha. Now that I've seen it in person this year, more and more I think you're right. There is all kinds of gunk built up on the hydraulics of the launch brakes like they're not taking care of the ride at all.

Sorry if this has been posted already, but all of Dragster's trains are gone from the storage track.

By all accounts I've seen, the waterpark and amusement park are the most successful parts of this boondoggle. I could see Triple Five defaulting and the whole complex being sold to a more seasoned park operator with the sole intention of operating the rides/slides and turn the mall into an Amazon warehouse. It already looks like one.

6 PM on a Tuesday. Edit: And the FL+ line for Maverick at 7 pm (Edit edit-this only took 8 minutes to get through):

Your strategy seems sound. I'd recommend grabbing a quick ride on Iron Dragon on the way to Millie, since it's not on FL but is on Early Entry. The front row of Millie does not take an extra 45 minutes. Maybe an extra 15 at the most. I do. I don't even mess with the stupid locker system in the queue anymore. Yeah, it's not free, but its worth it to avoid the hassle IMHO.

Awesome! Thanks for the update. Guess I'm stopping there on my way to CP on Tuesday.

15-20 minutes is only possible, in my experience from last year (I haven't been this year yet) if all of the following are met: -FL-Merge-Person lets FL people through right away so it doesn't back up. -Locker-spieler is on their game. -Locker area doesn't get backed up. -Post-locker metal detector persons are on their game. -Grouper at the top of the stairs is pulling equally from both stairwells. -Actual operations don't get held up for any reason. I don't budget any less than an hour for SV, even with FL, unless the line is so short that you can breeze right past the locker area. Your experience is atypical, unless they've gone back to one stairwell being for FL and one being for non.

By that logic, shouldn't they shift the hours later so they're open longer once the sun is down? 7PM is right when it starts to cool down.

Now that you have time you could scroll back through the past few pages. Eeesh. Summary: It's up and down, as always.

Maverick's puts you in the station. Yeah, CP's Fast Lane implementation is less than idea, but its still mandatory (especially on weekends) if you ask me, unless you have several days at the park.

Reducing attendance results in lower crowds, resulting in a better guest experience, possibly resulting in more return-visitors and in-park spending.

The building is new but the scanners aren't; last year they were just housed in tents.

It's the name of a mythical evil snake in their mythical ethos they've developed to theme the park around.

I haven't seen plagiarism so bad since the "Vortex" sign at Fun Spot Kissimmee, Like they didn't even change it to Intamin track!

Not sure why you'd bother them asking if there'd be a season next year. All of the information known about the sale indicates that the earliest they could possibly close would be 2 years away.

Look at WoF going all fancy and full-color with their entry passes. Even Cedar Point and Kings Island had monocolor ones when they were using them.