AmyUD06

@pianojohnNice! I love seeing those "old photo recreations."

Yes, you want FL+. If you can think of any other questions let me know.

Not sure about either of those, but given that it's SFStL, you can count on a few years to "refurbish" it.

They do this in the US too; your country isn't special. Everywhere has idiots. Hell, at Six Flags Great Adventure they'll stop a ride on the lift hill and have security come walk you off the ride if you pull your phone out.

The next morning I was on the road early for my trek westward, but not before a quick detour south for... Camden Park, June 30th. *sigh* What is there to say about this place? Hooray that it still exists and they maintain some classic coasters? All in all it was kinda depressing and surreal; for a few minutes I actually felt like I was in one of those crazy western European parks where you need to operate the rides yourself. Anyway, on with the pictures, First up is the ticket booth: And the "main gate." It might be hard to see, but that small white square was a printed sign that said "Big Dipper is not running today." Bummer. Moving into the park, we come across the assortment of rides, starting with some hand carts... ...a boats-go-round... ..a kiddie whip... ..some auto-drive cars... ...a rockets-go-round... ...a carousel that had seen better days... ...a paratrooper that ran super slow... ...a SBF Visa figure-8 spinning coaster (I did go on this, 5 laps, spinner whatever)... ...a mini-Discovery type ride... ...a cars-go-round... ...standard Flyers, also run super slow... ...Scrambler... ...horse-and-buggy-go-round... ...gas powered train ride.... ...skyride to nowhere that was, you guessed it, super slow... ...twirly boat... ...Tilt-a-Whirl... ...and a kite flyer rounded out the normal assortment of flats at this derelict park. They also had a log flume that looked abandoned, but did actually have some riders later on, I promise! There were a few little food stands... ..and an arcade.... and a toy store? ...and a gift shop. Of course there was also a 1960s Pretzel dark ride, "Haunted House"... ..which was entertaining enough. It's a two story dark ride with a small drop (but it's not a credit). No animatronics, but the ride op did jump out from around the corner at the end, which was nice. Even though Big Dipper was closed, did take some pictures of it: What was running was the Lil' Dipper, a 1961 NAD hybrid kiddie coaster that still ran what I think are the original trains. I had a one train wait for the back row. No air, no laterals, no nothing, but is always fun to ride these classics. I also rode their adult Whip, which has perhaps the coolest graphics I've seen on one: This actually ran at a decent speed, and since it was a short model you didn't really get much recovery time between turns, and the cycle was super long. They also had these swan boats that looked like they would sink if an adult got in them. Guess that's why there's all the life preservers on the rail. That was all there was to do at this park, and with Big Dipper being closed it almost felt like a waste, but whatever who knows the next time I'll be passing by this area. Its in the middle of the suburbs but really feels like the middle of nowhere. I leave you with a shot of the park map sign; the other side was faded so badly you could barely make things out. Shout out to Ray & Nancy, ACE members not on TPR, who were doing basically the reverse of the trip that I was on. Chatting with them made this park a little more entertaining. Next Stop: Kentucky Kingdom. EDIT: The remainder of this report will be posted in the coming days. Please be patient.

My next stop on this park tour was... Kennywood, June 29th. So, the last time I was here was on my big 2017 trip, and I skipped Exterminator at that time and of course Steel Curtain wasn't here, so I had some new credits to get! Apparently, my Palace Platinum Pass gets me preferred parking at every park, so I got to park right up close: Kennywood had redone their entrance since my last visit. They really do go all-in on the yellow and black color scheme haha. How cute that they made a candy store sign out of one of their removed classic rides. First up was the reborn Old Mill, which had been Garfield's whatever on my last trip: Nine minute wait. What did I think? Definitely an improvement over Garfield, but I just didn't get it. I get that it holds some nostalgia factor for those that have been coming to the park for years, but honestly I thought it was kinda dumb. Grabbed a picture of the refurbished Kangaroo: ...and made my way down to the way-worse-team-than-the-Ravens Country entrance, only to find... Boo. Guess I wasn't getting this credit on this trip. At least it photographs nice? And hey, Aero 360 was running! This has a reputation for not, right? Some shots of the refurbished gift shop and arcade building. I grabbed a ride on Racer (16 minute wait for row 5, started on the left, and lost). I don't remember this having belts or seat dividers from my last trip...can someone who visits this place more frequently confirm that memory? Either way, it was fun....7/10. Next up was... Uh...maybe time to take off the "100th Anniversary" things? 22 minute wait for row 7. I also don't remember this having seat belts. Anyway, as I'm on it, I started wondering why this ever made my top 10, until that double-down and the massive air it causes. It has since been bumped out of the list, but man is this an underrated ride. One more sweet shot of Steel Curtain: Unfortunately, Thunderbolt was closed also... ...but I did get to go on Ghostwood Estate. 13 minute wait (not including pre-show time). Meh...good enough I guess. Surprised to not find a high-score board at the end, and the scenes were kinda boring. It does earn some points for me having no idea how the trackless-darkride mechanism works at all. 4/10 I then did my first ever walk through of Noah's Ark. Okay, so I might catch flack for this, but what the hell is this thing? The first half was completely pointless (unless they're trying to indoctrinate people into Magical Sky Daddy's book), and the second half (with the physical gags) wasn't that impressive at all. I'd rank Confusion Hill at Idlewild as a better example of this type of attraction. 0/10. Next up was a ride on Exterminator, my first spinning mouse. It was here I had my longest wait of the day, at 44 minutes. Meh, whatever it was spinning. And a mouse. Not too bad until the spinning started, and then the eyes definitely had to close. I also don't quite understand the theme. 3/10. After exiting, I noticed that Black Widow was operating. I know this has a reputation for not. I then grabbed a ride on Phantom's Revenge (15 minute wait for front row). Front row is definitely better than wherever I rode during my 2017 trip, and the first and second drops are definitely insane, but after the tunnel everything just goes down hill. How can anyone enjoy those janky, Arrow-esque transitions, curves, and hills? 5/10. After that, I headed to my hotel to call day one a wrap, leaving Kennywood with much the same impression I had of it during my first trip 5 years ago: Overall Meh. Yeah, it's awesome that they keep their three classic woodies going, but that's about all this park has going for it (yes, I did peek at their Whip and found it to run slower than Dorney's). Side note: Here, my Palace Platinum Pass from Dutch Wonderland did not scan, and I needed to go to guest relations to get a paper ticket. Next up: Camden Park.

So, for this year's "big" park trip, I decided to focus on the mid-north states again, starting in western Pennsylvania with.... Idlewild, June29th. Beware, there are a lot of pictures from here, mostly since I know many of you have never been here. You pay for attendance at what would normally be the parking booths. My Palace Platinum Pass scanned without any issues. The parking lot. I think there was a bigger one somewhere else. The "entrance gate" LOL. They had a log flume, that was closed for the day. A kids climb-about play area, something you don't find in a lot of proper amusement parks. But no park would be complete without an Auntie Anne's pretzels...yes, that does say $8.00 for a standard pretzel. Moving along, we come across a dining area... ...A Tornado with a unique theme and decorations... ...some more scenic buildings.... ...a Monster... ...bumper cars (sadly nothing special)... ...your standard balloon ride... ...and a show venue. These were posted right in front of the drive-'em cars. The sign has definitely seen better days. Another few eateries... ...some games... ...and a scrambler. There was an antique carousel, dating back to at least 1931, which had stationary outer horses like Knoebel's, but sadly no ring-grab thingy. They have your standard Flyers... ..and of course, the reason anyone non-local ever comes here... Rollo Coaster! Sadly the original trains are long gone, replaced by a single PTC two-row car followed by 3 single-row trailer'd cars, but it was still a fun ride. I rode in the front and the back (minimal waits), and while the front row was pretty tame, the back row had one solid pop of air and some good laterals at the turnaround. It was also much much smoother than any ride from 1938 has being. 6/10. And here's a bunch of pictures of it: Moving along, we come across a Tilt-a-Whirl... ...And then the other reason for an enthusiast to come to this park... This was the first Vekoma mouse I've ever been on, and it did not disappoint. Despite the addition of magnetic brakes along the zig-zag portion, it still felt like the cars were coming to come flying off the track. It was super smooth and had some great positive and negative G's along the hills. And who can forget the banked lift hill with what have to be the loudest anti-rollbacks ever (yes, even louder than an RMC!)? Easily the best wild mouse I've ever been on. 8/10. And of course, a bunch of pictures: Everyone loves when coasters aren't bolted to the ground. Continuing onward, there's a long path back to the small water park, on one side of which is a not-very-friendly-looking lake. And onward into Raccoon Lagoon, their main kiddie section. Featuring a set of electric auto-drive cars with a well-themed entrance... ...the most ingenious installation of a boat-go-round I've ever seen... ...a mini Turtle... ...a very old car-go-round... ...a tram-go-round?... ..and finally Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. This is a trolley ride through various scenes from the show, which while being a huge fan of Mr. Rodgers growing up, I've never seen. Circling back around towards the front of the park, we come across another show venue... ...a standard Dippin' Dots and Gift Shop... ...and a really cool bridge. There was apparently a tiny train station here? And then some more rides, including a Round Up... ...Paratrooper... ... and a train ride. There was this nice fountain too: At this point I took a break for some food, and grabbed a custom mac and cheese from the Mac Shack (no relation to the one at Cedar Point, I think). $15 for an absolutely massive portion; I wasn't able to finish it all: And last but certainly not least for this park was Confusion Hill. This is a walk-through attraction with a narrator telling a story about miners. There are some awesome visual gags, including slanted floors, perspective skewing, balls roll and and water flowing the "wrong" direction...all in all very entertaining. And something that no one ever talks about from this place. The narrator would pour water into the trough, and it would flow "uphill" into the bucket. These balls rolled up. These balls rolled left. And that about does it for Idlewild. Not a whole lot for enthusiasts, but it is a very nice family park. Next stop: Kennywood.

They could very easily implement a metal detector system like Cedar Fair has done on their RMCs. There was nothing in place at SFMM at Twisted Colossus when I visited in December.

Gold Striker from CGA. Edit: Or, in a more hilarious universe, Grizzly from CGA.

I was there yesterday too! I made the exact same analogy about the Tip Top, too LOL. In the back row of Tornado, that "pop of air" was the most intense ejector I've ever felt. It was absolutely insane.

I still don't get this Cesari's hype. Growing up with Macks, Jonuzi's (Atlantic City) and 3 Brothers (Seaside), I wasn't that impressed with the last Alice I had from Cesari's.

Coaster wise, Flight Deck is the mostly likely candidate - KD doesn't have an invert. Flat wise, who knows, but I'm privately hoping for Orbit (the Schwarzkopf Enterprise) and/or Berserker (the Bayern Kurve), but the latter would need a new name.

Tornado at Stricker's Grove. Mostly mild except for the most intense ejector airtime moment I've ever experienced.

I'm sorry that not continuing to broadcast and support racist things doesn't fit your twisted world view. Its Disney; I can guarantee it won't be "a half baked overlay." Might I suggest you stick to the Darien Lake thread where every post is a joke.

Yeah, I totally get it. Thanks, it was a good time

In today's bizzarro news, it appears that their "the market can support insane prices" theory has collapsed, by virtue of them offering a season pass for slightly less than double the cost of a one-day ticket. Daily ticket on a Saturday: $79 Season Pass through 9/30/22: $139 https://americandream.com/nickelodeon_season_pass/tickets

Sadly, KD doesn't really hold a candle to KI, and I say that as KD being my home park. I305 and Twisted Timbers are amazing top-tier rides, Reptilian/Avalanche is awesome, and Dominator may be the best floorless, but after that the coaster collection really falls on its face. Otherwise they pretty much have the same collection of flats. KD has a little more shade, but KI has the better food options and operations. Fast Lane/Plus is also nowhere near as effective at KD, and isn't offered on quite a few rides. Twisted Timbers now has the same stupid locker setup as Steel Vengeance, making FL be much less effective than it used to be. Crowd's shouldn't be too bad on a non-holiday Monday, but anything is possible in this post-COVID world. Oh, and I305 absolutely blows Orion out of the water; you will definitely be impressed. I think you won't be disappointed, but temper your expectations. As for strategy: -I highly recommend FL+, even if it is less effective here than KI. Note that you can redeem your voucher or buy it at almost any gift shop, not just the redemption center up front. The following strategy involves working around that. -Dominator and Berzerker (inverting ship) open a half hour before the rest of the park; if you get there at opening and are towards the front of the crowd, you should be able to bang both of these out with minimal waits. -After that, once the rest of the park opens, start a clockwise circle by heading to Woodstock Express (not on FL, and standing in long lines with a bunch of kids is weird), Tumbili (not on FL) and Reptilian. Even though the latter is on FL, the capacity on the ride is horrible. -Next, head to Anaconda. Not on FL, and not worth any kind of wait. -Your next destination is Racer 75; not on FL and the line splits at the very start of the queue, unlike Racer at KI. Might only be running one train on a Monday. -Next is Apple Zapple; not on FL. -After that, Grizzly. Also not on FL, and though it won't get too much of a line all day, still not worth any kind of wait. -From there, you can do what you want. I'd suggest reversing the circle, and hitting the rides that you skipped because they were on on FL for the first lap. By this time, Twisted Timbers has worked through its normal morning jitters and should be running consistently. If you plan on doing the water park, don't forget to walk all the way to the back of it; there's a whole 'nother section back there that's kinda hidden. Let me know if you need any further tips.

Just got back to my hotel after my first trip to Holiday World. A full report will follow, but here are some bullet points: -Legend, Raven, and Voyage are all insanely good rides for different reasons, despite the roughness on the first and last of those. All have found a place in my Top lists (see signature). I regretted skipping rerides only 15 minutes down the road, but the extreme heat combined with the not-exactly-smooth wooden coasters had given me a recurring headache. -Water coasters are absolutely bonkers! This was my first time going on any of them, and holy shit. Airtime on a water ride! -This is going to be probably a me-only problem, but the water park needs more for solo-traveling adults who are mostly introverted. It's weird getting on a big group-tube with a bunch of randos, sorry not sorry. There's plenty of kids slides and big-tube slides, but there are only three solo slides and they are all super short. -SHADE! After my day at KK yesterday, this day was so much better on my body despite the hills because of the ample shade (excepting the long walk back to Thunderbird). -Anyone who says KK is an objectively better park than this is out of their mind.

I'm convinced that Mad Mouse rumor is Screamscape being it's normal "ideas out of it's ass" self. I cannot imagine Cedar Fair sending such a low capacity, dead-manufacturer, ride to it's flagship park.

Let's be honest here....I would be very surprised anyone in the park's social media office is over the age of 25. Those born 25 years ago were born in 1997, almost 15 years after the fire, so by the time they get to an age to be cognizant to things like that, that's 25-30 years since the fire. Anyone that worked there when it happened, even big shots, have most likely retired by now. It's not a bright spot in the history of the park, so why would it be mentioned to new hires?* Nobody knows about it except park enthusiasts and "boomers" who were local to the area when it happened, which is sad...but a reasonable expectation. *I worked there from 1998-2003, and no one ever officially told me about the haunted house fire.

So I just got back to my hotel from a quick 2 hour stop at KK. Those who said I wouldn't need 3.5 hours were absolutely right; I encountered nothing more than a station wait for any ride; longest of the day was T3 at 21-22 minutes for the front row, including ride time. I'll end up posting a detailed report when this road trip is done, but here are some bullet points: -You guys weren't kidding about no shade. Eeesh....in 90+ degree heat, with half of the food/beverage places open, it was brutal, even for those two hours. -Layout wasn't confusing, but I would call it "bad" - lots of dead areas with no rides or shops or anything (or shade LOL). -I was able to hit all 6 coasters, and rank them as follows: 1. Thunder Run front row. 2. Storm Chaser 3. Lightning Run 4. Kentucky Flyer 5. Roller Skater 6. T3 500. Thunder Run back row -I was able to make Thunder Run my 250th, which was satisfying since I rode it in the front first. Insane ride, easily earning a place in my Top 10 Woodies. The back row, however, was absolutely brutal and would be right at home in the 10 worst coaster rides I've ever had. Horrid. -I definitely enjoyed Lightning Run, and will join the cadre of "Why didn't anyone ever order another one of these?" I actually found the ejector a bit too strong at a few points, to be honest. -Storm Chaser was typical RMC awesomeness, and I rank it towards the top of the RMCs that I've ridden. I could go either way with whether this or Thunder Run front row are the best rides in the park. -I didn't see what was so bad about T3; rode in the front row. The restraints, while not as good as the Vekoma vests and they do hurt your thighs by the end (not as bad as SkyRush though), are an infinite improvement over the old hard OSTRs. You just need to push out on those handles and push your head back against the restraint. Anyone who "broke their teeth" on the joysticks is an idiot. Sure, it's no Great Nor'Easter, but I've definitely ridden worse SLCs. -I can totally echo Zach's comments a few pages back about the staff. Plenty of them, but only like 3 I encountered made any sort of effort to interact with anyone. -Water park seemed nice, but I didn't stop in. EDIT: And as quickly as it entered by top 10 wooden coasters, Thunder Run has been bumped out. Holiday World's two are substantially better, as is the park as a whole (you guys who say otherwise are on crack LOL).

Indeed. Sadly you probably won't have to wait too long for that.

Ooops....that's what I get for posting from my phone.

Edit: I am a doofus who can't read. My bad.

Running as of today at least.