angryemobeaver

Kings Island, these are average wait times on a summer weekday. During Haunt and on weekends the waits are exceptionally longer than these. Banshee: 30, 15, 20 Invertigo: 30, 45, 15 Drop Tower: 5, 30, 20 Delirium: 15, 35, 20 Bat: 0, 15, 0 Adventure Express: 0, 10, 5 Racer: 5, 20, 10 Flight of Fear: 10, 45, 30 Firehawk: 20, 60, 45 Windseeker: 5, 20, 25 Vortex: 5, 15, 20 Backlot: 10, 30, 25 Beast: 10, 45, 60 Diamondback: 20, 40, 30 Planet Snoopy: everything is long waits from open until around 7:00 p.m.

Probably the Superman Ultimate Flight clones. Second runner up(s) would be Vortex at Carowinds.

Rides that I have been on. Best: Mindbender SFOG: The forceful vertical loop into a tunnel then a quick turn. Prowler WoF: The triple down tho Voyage HW: This ride truly never loses its speed. Honestly there could be another 500 or so feet added to the layout and it would still come flying into the brake run. Beast: Duh, the only great part of the ride. Mystery Mine: This is actually my favorite ride ending. Cheetah Hunt BGT: The final launch into an airtime hill and a few twists. Worst: Adventure Express and Gatekeeper like everyone else has mentioned. Intimidator Carowinds: Basically the same ending as Gatekeeper. Volcano KD: The ride finally gains speed again but then goes straight into a brake run. Rides I have yet to ride but am judging based off of POVs and reviews. Best: Outlaw Run SDC Verbolten BGW Intamin Megalites Nemesis AT Lightning Rod Dollywood Cyclops Mt. Olympus Iron Rattler SFFT Worst: Oblivion AT and G5 All flying coasters (because of the position.) Leviathan CW

I've yet to visit SFGAdv to ride El Toro and there are still hundreds of coasters I'm dying to ride. However out of the roughly 150 coasters I've ridden, my favorites are: Maverick, Vortex (KI,) Fahrenheit, Diamondback, Intimidator 305, and Raptor. I know, my list makes it seem like I've only been to Ohio (and Pennsylvania/Virginia) but for some reason these instantly popped into my head right when I saw the title of the thread. I think most people would agree with me that Maverick, Fahrenheit, Diamondback, and I305 have great first drops, but Vortex in the second to last row is literally my second favourite drop after Maverick. And I also really love the drop on Raptor if you sit in the back because you get whipped and then get a nice moment of floater airtime. *edit* I totally forgot about dive machines! Sheikra has a wonderful drop, definitely worth mentioning!

Yes! I actually love these little coasters. I've always wondered if it would be possible to change the 'Mini Coopers' to spinning cars. Can you imagine that triple helix while the cars are also spinning? Besides BLSC I also love wild mouse coasters and mine trains for some reason. EDIT: I also used to be obsessed with Son of Beast lol. That was for sure a guilty pleasure.

I've only ridden about 140 coasters so I'm missing out on some amazing ones like El Toro and the RMC's. But for what I've ridden I would have to say: Maverick Diamondback Cornball Express Intimidator 305 Skyrush Millennium Force

I always hear people basically worshiping the Batman clones. Don't get me wrong, they're good rides, but definitely not B&M's best work. I think that if they weren't at basically every SF park that I may have more respect for it, but because you can ride it at every other SF park it just seems so repetitive. Plus they're a little too intense for me to enjoy more than one ride in a row on. That being said, I still would rate it a solid 7 or 8 out of 10.

1. Afterburn 2. Patriot 3. Montu 4. Raptor 5. Great Bear I bet some people are surprised to see Patriot and Great Bear on this list. I loved Patriot because the layout flows so well and its just perfectly smooth. Plus that zero-gravity roll is my favorite of any invert. Great Bear has the best drop of any B&M Invert and I love the way the zero-gravity roll flows into the corkscrew. Banshee is definitely an honorable mention. The Batman coasters are fun, but they're a little too intense for me. However, I have yet to ride Talon, Alpengeist, Flight Deck, Silver Bullet, or either of the Dragon Challenges (the only North American non-clone B&M inverts I haven't ridden.)

I didn't even think about the NTAG incident as a reason as to why SF hasn't worked with Gerstlauer lately. Obviously that may or may not be the actual reason (or they may still work with Gerstlauer in the future, just now now) but regardless, I could see some Eurofighters doing well at other Six Flags parks like I mentioned in my last post. And going back to Bizarro, I've never even been to SFGAdv so I really don't have much of a right to predict the ride's future but, once again I just think it would be a quick and less expensive way for Six Flags to profit it's St. Louis location with little capital. Actually, until last year I believed Scream (mirror-imaged clone of Bizarro) was a better candidate for relocation, but now that it was painted in early 2015 to compliment Twisted Colossus, it is very unlikely that it will be removed from SFMM in the next 5-10 years. I guess to future will revile!

SFSTL is a great park, but definitely missing a star attraction. A massive B&M hyper makes the most sense for obvious reasons, however Six Flags hasn't been spending $20M-25M on individual parks lately. Realistically, I could see Bizarro from SFGAdv coming soon. I've not been to SFGAdv yet, but I've always heard it is one of the most unpopular major attractions at the park, and if it was at SFSTL it would likely be THE most ridden coaster. Other than Bizarro, I could also see one of those S&S Batman/Total Mayhem coasters. Either one would be a good fit, but personally I would rather see Bizarro make its way to St. Louis. I've always thought it was weird Six Flags never installed more Eurofighters after DDD at SFOG. The coaster doesn't have the best capacity, but the ride is a good step between a family coaster and a major thrill ride, I could have definitely seen SFSTL along with maybe SFA, SFFT, and SFNE successfully having a similar ride.

It seems like we were in the park at the same time Friday night. My BF and I arrived around 8:50Pm and rode Skyrush three times (without getting up) before heading back to Laff Track to ride it for the second time of the season. We got off when the park was closed so we were probably in line with you! Glad you have a great trip! You are absolutely right about Sidewinder my BF refused to ride it even though I told him it has received new restraints since he rode it last. We had to have been in line at the same time! I've ridden a few other Boomerangs and none of them (even the ones without new trains) have been that bad. Whenever the train entered the second spike I was wishing I could just get off and not have to go through the entire ride over again, backwards. But now that I've ridden it I will never ride it again, its for sure a one and done.

For sure: Six Flags America: I live 30 minutes away but still have never been. Hersheypark: Just visited for the first time and I fell in love. Kentucky Kingdom: I'm from Indy so at some point I will be returning to visit family, since I'll be nearby I HAVE to visit KK since I haven't been since 2003. Likely: Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Never been, and its not far from me. Kings Dominion: Visited in 2010 but would love to revisit on the way to BGW. Six Flags Great Adventure: Once again I have never been and its really not far from me. Dorney Park: Never been, would probably try and make a mini road trip including DP, SFGAdv, and maybe NYC. Dollywood: I haven't been since 2010 so I would love to go, especially with Lightning Rod! Maybe: Six Flags Great America: Since I'll be visiting Indy a few times next summer I want to also hit up Chicago, and I've only been here once back in 2008 so I would love to visit! Carowinds: Went in 2010 but I really want to try Fury 325! Six Flags New England: Maybe add this along with Knoebel's and Lake Compounce to a SFGAd/DP/NYC trip? Cedar Point: Been a million times but if the reviews for Valravn are extremely positive I may go here instead of SFGAm while in Indy. So overall I'm hoping to get a ton of rides in 2016 to make up for the last few years of only visiting Kings Island and Cedar Point. If I get to visit all of these places I will have ridden over 200 coasters (right now I'm somewhere around 150.)

I ended up making my first ever HP trip on Friday October 30th. Time was short as the park was only open from 5-10 and we got there an hour after opening, but we still got plenty of rides in! We (my bf and I) started the night with a ride on Skyrush in the front seat. So, Skyrush was a very solid ride but it didn't reach my expectations. Yeah its fast, twisty, and intense, but I didn't get the airtime I was expecting. Luckily, when we got back into the station we saw no one was in line except for a few rows. So we moved to the very back row for our second consecutive ride. The back seat on Skyrush is honestly life changing! I have only ridden roughly 150 coasters, but I would have to rank it as one of my favorites! To make things even better, there was no line again so we stayed on! I could have stayed on Skyrush all night, but time was very limited and we have any entire park to conquer! Skyrush: 10+/10 We then headed over to Superdooper-Looper where there was absolutely no line, we literally walked right on, we didn't even have to wait for the gate to open. SDL is one of those rides I never really paid much attention to and its been a while since I had seen a POV so I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised on how fun this ride was! We were in the back row and I noticed a few pops of airtime, plus the classic forceful loop, low to ground turns, and wooded area really surprised me. Super Dooper Looper: 6/10 Next we headed to Great Bear where once again there was no line, we also rode in the back. I've honestly never heard anything too positive about this coaster, basically just it has no forces and after the corkscrew it awkwardly makes its way back to the station. Luckily since I had such low expectations I was pleasantly surprised. I adored the predrop helix, it really whips you around and is a great intro to the inversions. The drop, loop, and immelman are basic B&M invert elements, but for some reason I really appreciated the way the zero-gravity roll and corkscrew flow together. I will say after the corkscrew the ride does kind of lose its speed and excitement, imagine if Great Bear would have had a heartline roll like Banshee, that would have been a perfect ending! Great Bear: 8/10 Next was the biggest surprise of the night! I've never really heard to many great reviews for Fahrenheit, and honestly it looks pretty gimmicky. I'm not a huge fan of vertical lifts, but I LOVE beyond vertical drops, and Fahrenheit's was no exception with the ejector air it provides! The Norwegian loop was fun although not that intense, the cobra roll though is taken really fast (I wonder how it was able to stall there of all places back when it first opened?) The corkscrews were disorienting but smooth, and the turnaround, airtime hill, and low to ground turn were the perfect ending. Fahrenheit really surprised me, its like a shorter Maverick with more inversions. Fahrenheit: 10/10 I decided to ride Sidewinder since we're nearby and I'm a credit whore. In the past I've actually enjoyed all of the Boomerangs (including Invertigo's and Deja Vu's) I've ridden, and with this one having the same trains as Carolina Cobra I was actually kind of excited. I appreciate Hersheypark trying to improve the ride with the new trains, but it honestly sucks (but I'm sure its much better than what it used to be like prob.) Seriously, sell it and put anything else there. Sidewinder: 3/10 Besides Skyrush, I was also extremely excited for Stormrunner. So after my bad ride on Sidewinder I was happy to ride a great smooth Intamin. Stormrunner was only running one train, so even though the place was dead the line still ended up being close to 30 minutes which isn't bad at all! I LOOOOOVE launch coasters and this one was no exception! The launch is powerful and quick. I was hoping to experience some airtime on the top hat but didn't, but its alright because this ride is about everything but airtime! The immelman type inversion had really intense positive G's, and the snake dive (I think that is what they call it) was ridiculously discombobulating, and the final s-curve was snappy. Overall Stormrunner was great but not what I was expecting at all, but in a good way! Stormrunner: 9/10 As we were walking towards Lightning Racer we saw Wildcat so we wanted to give it a try. The line for some reason was pretty long and I've always heard Lightning Racer was much better, so we got out of line and decided to come back. After getting out of line I decided we have to get at least one more Skyrush ride, so that's exactly what we did! After that I remembered we had forgotten to ride Comet. I honestly had low expectations for Comet for some reason, but luckily I was surprised. Hersheypark does an extraordinary job at maintaining EVERYTHING, including Comet, this ride felt brand new. The funky old station and chaser lights provided a great vibe for such a cool coaster. Comet was smooth but still felt like a true wooden coaster, had a few pops of airtime, and some of the turnarounds are taken surprisingly fast to make for some awesome laterals! I wish I could've gotten more rides on this, but at this point we only had an hour until the park closed. Comet: 7/10 Since we only had an hour left I wanted to be sure to ride Lightning Racer. On the way there my bf asked what the large building lit up was. I told him it was the new indoor spinning coaster with lasers. In his mind he pictured Flight of Fear, which he loves. I told him its much different but we can ride it after Lightning Racer. So anyways, once again Hersheypark maintains everything so well. Even my bf noticed, he asked how new Lightning Racer was because the queue and station were so clean, freshly painted, and not vandalized that he assumed it must have been only a year or two old! The ride itself didn't disappoint at all. I love how unlike some other parks, this actually does race/duel at all times. Because it was the last hour they turned the lights off, which provided a real out of control feel. There was definitely some air to be found, but this ride is all about feeling out of control. Being the credit whore I am I wanted to ride the opposite track to get the credit, but I promised my bf we could ride Laff Track, and I still wanted to ride Wildcat too, so there was no time for a re-ride. Lightning Racer: 8/10 It seems like Hersheypark in the Dark is obviously targeted towards families and children, which is great because it made the lines on the bigger coasters much smaller. However, since Laff Track is a family ride, this actually had a long queue. I did promise my bf we would ride it though so into the queue we went. After about 45 minutes we finally were able to board the ride. I will say the trains have got to be the most uncomfortable trains ever, like whoever is complaining about Skyrush's restraints must have never been to the other side of the park to ride this thigh crusher. Once again since it was the last hour, all of the lights were off. I haven't ridden this with the normal theme before, but I think its safe to assume its probably better with the lasers compared to the pitch black. Overall the ride was mediocre for me, but for families I can tell its a real winner. Laff Track: 3/10 Unfortunately, after we exited Laff Track the park had officially closed, so no Wildcat for me. But hey, just another one of the many reasons for me to come back next year! Hersheypark is a wonderful place, its the best of a small family park and a big corporate coaster park. All of the employees were very helpful and you could tell they love what they do, something that isn't too common in this industry. I talked to a few employees and found out some aren't actually employees, but rather volunteers which is so great! Apparently Hersheypark will 'hire' workers this time of the year when a lot of college kids are back in school, and instead of paying them, they donate money into a charity or organization of that volunteer's choice! So cool! However as a business person I always try and see where I would do things differently. I honestly was unable to see any major flaws with the way this park is being managed, or areas where it lacks. At best I just wish Hershey the best and hope they continue doing what they do! Oh, and an Intamin drop tower like Falcon's Fury would be nice! Overall Hersheypark is probably one of my favorite parks I have been to. I will for sure return next year and give myself more than 4.5 hours to really take in the park!

I've never been to HP and planning on going this weekend. I would prefer to go tomorrow, but with it being a Saturday does anyone have an idea what the crowds are usually like on Saturdays in late October? If its expected to be crazy busy then I'm fine waiting until Sunday. Thanks!

I'm thinking of going to Hersheypark for the first time either Saturday October 24th. or Sunday the 25th. but I'm unsure what day would be best. How busy does it usually get Saturdays and Sundays in October? Is there a Fastlane type program I could buy? Lastly, could anyone give me a "gameplan" (what order to ride everything, and what seats are best on each ride?) Thanks!